Harry Potter and the Darkness Within
by TragicLestat
Summary: After the debacle at the Ministry and learning the prophecy, Harry decides how to fight Voldemort: violence with violence. Th M is for violence and some language. Dark but not evil Harry. No pairings in this one.
1. Letters, Dreams, Decisions

Chapter 1

4th revision notes: I change some things to keep continuity with the direction the story is heading. I also rechecked the grammar.

5th (10\16) revision notes: I changed the conversation with Dudley so he and Harry don't become as friends, which was not my original intention. I also did a little edit on Harry's feelings regarding his decision: I took out what I can term "Oh poor little me" crap. I'm probably going to go through my other chapters and edit them in a similar way. The result I think will be a slightly darker Harry.

--

Harry Potter and the Darkness Within

Chapter 1

Letters, Dreams, Decisions

The sky seemed darker than usual to the young man's green eyes as he gazed out into the night from his second story window. The lights lining Privet Drive appeared to be giving out a sickly yellow light and seemed to possess the same defeated look that a patient with the jaundice would have. The boy wondered idly if his mind was distorting what came into his emerald eyes from what it really was by projecting his mood and state-of-mind subconsciously onto his environment.

Harry Potter let out a sigh that was laden with a range of feelings. He had finally made a hard decision, one he had mulling over for the past two days after leaving Platform 93\4. He felt anger and hate for being forced to make. While fierce fires of rage filled his stomach and boiled his skin, he felt an almost giddy rush of anticipation. Still, he didn't see any other way, and he was prepared to do anything to achieve his goal, and, for some reason, that did not bother him too much. Letting out another sigh, Harry took out a sheet of parchment and began composing a letter to his headmaster.

_Professor Dumbledore,_

_I'm hoping that you might be able to meet with me so we can discuss issues of mutual interest. Come whenever you can but please make it soon. I know you are busy but it is important. It's connected to what you and I discussed in your office after the debacle at the Ministry. I have made a decision regarding it and I need your help to implement that decision. I'm not sure how long this meeting might take._

_Respectfully yours,_

_Harry Potter_

_P.S. Please avoid my relatives when you come. I'm having a sort of cease fire with them._

Harry reviewed the letter again to make sure it was cryptic enough that only Dumbledore could understand it. Satisfied with what he wrote, he called for Hedwig. The snowy owl fluttered over to the desk where Harry was sitting.

"Hedwig, I need you to get this to Professor Dumbledore as quick as you possibly can. It's very important. Fly the most direct route and do not stop for anything," Harry instructed his feathery friend. After tying the letter onto Hedwig's leg, Harry stroked her soft chest for a minute. "Hedwig, this may be the most important letter you will ever deliver. It has to get to the Professor. Do you understand?" Hedwig blinked and hooted that she understood, "Alright, safe journey girl."

After watching Hedwig disappear into the dark sky, Harry swallowed hard and took out more sheets of parchment. Harry picked up his quill and began composing letters to his friends who blindly followed him into the trap set by Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He poured his heart into the letters to Ginny, Luna, and Neville. Harry tried to show how much remorse he had by telling how he was sorry about Luna's concussion, Ginny's broken ankle and Neville's broken nose and his smashed wand. Harry added a few lines of thanks to Luna's letter for the conversation they had a few days before the end of school. He wrote how it had helped him start the long and arduous process of accepting and dealing with Sirius' death.

Surveying the letters to his friends, Harry nodded to himself in approval. They were all unique save for the postscript which was succinct, almost to the point of rudeness, so it would not be misunderstood. It said:

_P.S. Please do not write back. _

Picking up his quill again, Harry began composing letters to Kingsley, Lupin, Mad-Eye, and Tonks -- the Order of the Phoenix who risked their lives to try and save him from his almost catastrophic blunder. He had gotten them all injured in some fashion. Although Lupin had not been physically injured, Harry knew he had been wounded to the core of his being. To Lupin's letter, Harry added how sorry he was that he'd gotten Lupin's closest friend and the second to last of the real Marauders, Sirius, killed.

After putting the finishing touches on the last letter, Harry looked at his watch and saw that two hours had passed since he began the first letter. Harry briefly looked over the letters and found them to be acceptable. He gingerly picked up the three letters to his friends and placed them on the side of his small desk. Mentally exhausted, Harry knew there was no chance that he could even begin the letters that were destined for his best friends Ron and Hermione even though he knew the gist of what they would say.

Harry paused for moment to reflect on how the letters were more of an effort to clear his mind so he could fight well. He briefly wondered if any of his friends would realize that he was merely using them. As Harry thought about this, he was surprised that he felt little remorse.

Pushing away from the desk, Harry stood up and cracked the various joints that had stiffened during the extended writing session. He started with his knuckles and from there worked up to his neck and jaw then focused on his back to relieve. After getting a long, loud, and satisfying crack from almost all of the vertebrae along his spinal column, Harry started to sort out what he was going to discuss with Dumbledore.

--

While Harry was writing his letters, Dumbledore had begun repairing the various instruments and pieces of furniture that Harry had smashed during his last visit to the office. He recalled that he'd indicated to Harry that he could smash everything in the office and even attack him but he had to first explain the cold, hard truth about everything. He explained that it was because of him that Voldemort had killed his parents, that he is the only person who could kill Voldemort. It had been as gut-wrenching as Dumbledore thought it would be, revealing the poor boy future, watching the pain and horror mingle on Harry's face. It had been one of the worst moments in Dumbledore's long life.

_I am glad that Harry did not take me up on the offer to smash everything_, Dumbledore thought as the current device seemed resist his best efforts.

A few hours later, Dumbledore was brought out tedious task of repairs by a tapping on his window that faced south. Looking up, Dumbledore was mildly surprised to the bright white form of Hedwig on the sill. Why had Harry written him directly instead of passing it through the Order members who were guarding him? With a slight wave of his wand, Dumbledore opened the window to let in the bird.

"Come in Hedwig out of the cold night, you look absolutely exhausted. Let me do a little conjuring to get you some water and a soft place to rest."

With another wave of his wand, Dumbledore conjured a large bowl of chilled water and a padded perch. The owl gave a hoot of gratitude, but before helping herself to the water she flew at Dumbledore to finish her delivery mission.

Dumbledore smiled as he took the letter. "If I had an owl instead of Fawkes, I would want one just like you, reliable and beautiful." If owls could blush, Dumbledore had a feeling that Hedwig might be as red as a tomato. "Now, let me relieve you of your letter so you can get some rest!"

Dumbledore's soft smile disappeared as he began to read the short letter. While he dreaded what possible decision Harry could have made, it gave him a little warmth that Harry did not seem to hold any ill will towards him.

Dumbledore bent over his desk as he wrote out a quick reply. "Fawkes," he called softly. The swan-sized bird looked up and flew the short distance from his perch to the desk. "Please take this to Harry." The bird grabbed the folded piece of paper and was gone in a brief flash of fire.

--

Harry was trying to decide whether he should sleep or if he should try and avoid the demons that haunted him in dreams. _It seems I have is myself and the ideas my mind cooks up. These dreams are way worse than the Cruciatus Curse. At least I could take a potion that would kill the pain after it, _Harry thought to himself. A smirk crossed his face at the next thought that wandered into his conscious mind. _I wonder if a boggart would turn into me the next time I face one._

Harry was mulling over these thoughts when he felt a flash a heat and something land at the foot of his bed. Smiling, Harry sat up and opened his eyes and saw what he expected to see, the benevolent form of Fawkes.

"Hello there Fawkes, you look rather well for someone who not to long swallowed a Killingcurse."

A noise came the throat of the great bird. Harry had a feeling it was a chuckle of sorts. Fawkes hopped over to Harry and dropped a small piece of paper into his lap. Harry smiled at the bird as he picked up the note.

_Harry,_

_I will be in your room tomorrow at 10:00. Hedwig arrived in good health. See you tomorrow._

_Professor Dumbledore_

Harry had half a smile for Hedwig and the fact that she made it to Hogwarts so quickly. Grabbing his quill, Harry quickly scribbled on the same scrap of paper:

_See you then!_

_Harry_

After writing the short note, Harry decided to a postscript:

_P.S. Thank Hedwig for me._

After handing the note to Fawkes and feeling the heat from Fawkes' departure, Harry closed his eyes and let out a sigh. Now he did not have a choice as to whether or not he slept that night. Harry had a shrewd feeling that the conversation he was going to have with Dumbledore the next day would require a lot of stamina, especially if they started implementing Harry's plan the next day. Setting aside his glasses and settling back onto his pillow, he surrendered himself to the demons of his dreams.

--

The next morning Harry, feeling like he had not gotten any rest, took a shower and got dressed before heading downstairs for some toast. Upon entering the kitchen, Harry found all of the Dursleys grouped around the kitchen table. Harry saw that, according to the clock on the oven, it was 9:30. He was surprised to Dudley awake since it was summer.

"Morning everybody," he told the Dursleys while toasting some bread. He had decided that, in an effort to make life at number 4 Privet Drive a little more bearable, he would be more polite with his relatives and see if they might reciprocate in kind. Harry thought that it might be working to a small degree because they and Harry had not fought even though Harry had said not to worry about the threats made at the train station and Uncle Vernon grunted, in a not unkind way, at Harry's greeting.

Settling down into a chair, Harry munched some pieces of toast while shifting random thoughts around his mind when he suddenly looked up at Dudley.

"Hey Big D, am I still, ah," Harry stammered somewhat looking for the right words, "not acting brave at night? You know, like we talked about last year?"

Dudley's big head snapped toward Harry at the question. A look of fear spread across his face. Dudley remembered the last time they had talked about Harry having nightmares -- he'd almost had his soul sucked out and had ended up catatonic for about ten minutes.

Harry saw the fear in his big cousin's eyes and figured out what might be going through Dudley's skull.

"Don't worry Dud," Harry said in a comforting tone while wearing a benevolent smile, "I won't get mad or anything. I just want to know."

Hearing Harry's calming words Dudley seemed to settle down. "Uh, yeah you are."

"Alright, I just wanted to know. Thanks Dudley," Harry said as he finished his toast. "Well, see you all later."

Uncle Vernon grunted again.

As he was heading upstairs, Harry heard the heavy footfalls that signaled that Dudley was following him. Harry was at the top of the stairs when he heard Dudley whisper, "Hey Ha-harry, hold up a minute."

With a look of genuine confusion, which also served to mask a slight hinting of disgust that his cousin found it so hard to say his name, Harry turned to face his cousin. "What's up?" Harry asked guardedly.

With a quick glance over his shoulder, Dudley asked hastily, "What the bloody hell happens at the school of yours that gives you nightmares like that?"

Arching an eyebrow then smiling sadly, Harry began to answer his cousin's question: this unexpected curiosity intrigued Harry. "That's a strange question coming from a Dursley, Dudley. Alright, I will tell you what happen _this_ year," Harry said. "Of course you can't tell anyone who doesn't know that I can use magic."

Dudley twitched at the use of the M-word. "I won't tell a soul. I'm not a complete moron," Dudley said.

Harry silently scoffed at Dudley's statement regarding his statement of being a moron. _But, it might do me a little good to talk about it with someone, even if it is Dudley, _Harry thought quickly. _Hell, he might be able to give me a fresh, non-magical perspective on it all_. Harry doubted that thought quickly, as it was Dudley sitting in front of him. Beside, having made his decision on how he was going to fight, Harry needed his mind as clear as it could be. He was willing to try almost anything to get an edge.

"Okay, remember last summer after we were attacked and I told you and your family that the monster Voldemort, who killed my parents, had returned? Well, throughout the last term he kept sending me dreams about an area in the Ministry of Magic, though those might have been slip-ups at first. Somehow, through the scar he gave me, I'm able to see what he sees sometimes. It is pretty complicated and I don't understand it all myself.

"Anyways, around Christmas Voldemort found out about the connection we share when I saw my friend's dad being attacked by Voldemort's pet snake through his eyes. I tried to learn a way to protect my mind but I had a horrible tutor and couldn't learn to protect myself. Voldemort exploited the link when I fell asleep during my history final. He sent me a vision of him torturing my godfather."

Dudley was silent while Harry continued. "I tried to get in contact with Sirius but I couldn't reach him. I decided that I was going to go to the Ministry and rescue him. There were six of us who went that night. We followed the path that I had seen in my dreams and got to the spot where I saw Sirius being tortured but he wasn't there. I found a glass ball that had my name on it. All of a sudden a bunch of Death Eaters, which is the dumb ass name Voldemort named his followers, appeared. I had led my friends into a trap where we were outnumbered two to one. It was a group of six school kids, who only knew basic spells that you use in a fight and had never experienced a real life or death fight, versus twelve people who killed and tortured people for fun. Needless to say, it looked like we were not going to live long but we managed to hold our own for a good while.

"We fought pretty damn well but the situation was hopeless. My friends began going down from injuries ranging from a concussion to a huge slash that ran from my friend's shoulder to her hip on the opposite side. Through a whole lot of luck I managed to avoid any injuries but it was hopeless because I was on my own against ten hardcore killers though we somehow managed to put a couple out of commission. They had begun to torture one of my friends when five good guys came into the room and started to kick a little ass. Then my headmaster showed up and the Death Eaters started to scatter like a bunch a fifteen year-olds would if they were put in the ring with you." At this Dudley cracked a small smile, "Dumbledore started to really kick ass and take some names. In about a minute he had most of the baddies incapacitated.

"Then," Harry took a deep breath, "Sirius got killed and I took off after the bitch that did it. I caught up with her and start firing spells at her and messing with her head. The glass ball, which turned out to be a prophecy and the whole reason for all that happened that night, had gotten smashed during the fighting and the witch began freaking out since Voldemort does not forgive easily without a really long torture session. Voldemort appeared and was about to kill me when Dumbledore showed up and went at it with him. It was one hell of a fight. After some seriously wicked dueling, Voldemort retreated and the fight was over." Dudley shook his head in amazement, but let his cousin continue.

"My dreams, however, differ from what really happened. In my dreams all my friends are caught, along with the people who came to rescue us, and have the Cruciatus Curse, a torture curse that earns a life sentence in my world, cast on another person. When it is cast on a person it feels like your bones are on fire, like white-hot knifes are piercing every inch of your skin. If it held long enough a person will go insane and never recover. That happened to the parents of one of my friends; they don't recognize him when he visits them at the hospital where they are permanent residents. Anyhow, after my friends go crazy they are killed. Throughout this I am unable to do anything to help them." Harry shuddered as he thought about the dream.

"I learned later what the prophecy said. It said that I am the only one who can defeat Voldemort; that either I will kill him or he will kill me. Voldemort knew only some of it and that was the reason he tried to kill me when I was a wee little tyke. I think it is safe to say that I was dealt a crappy hand for the game of life. I have to fight a wizard who frightens most of the magical community so much that they refuse to say he name and shudder if they hear it. Dudley, you okay man?" Harry asked after he noticed that his cousin had not blink for a while.

Dudley blinked, and shook his head. "I am not sure if I believe all you have told me yet. If it is true, you must have been raped by Lady Bad Luck when you were born. You're right, life does suck for you," Dudley said with a hint of admiration on his face.

"Yeah, but I have kind of accepted it. By the way, I feel a tiny bit better after talking about it, thanks Big D."

"No problem, Harry. Boy, this situation we are in feels weird, doesn't it?" Dudley replied.

"Yeah," Harry said. _Well, it's easier to use someone in awe. Who knows, he might actually be able to help_.

Harry looked down to check his watch. It said it was 9:55. "Listen, I have to go meet someone right now about this topic. I am going to need your advice on some stuff that you know about. It is part of the plan I have to fight Voldemort and his followers."

Dudley arched an eyebrow. "Sure Harry, whatever you need." Dudley held out a meaty hand for Harry to shake. Harry took the offered and smiled. "See you later Harry," Dudley said with a smile of his own before heading back downstairs to finish his breakfast.

Turning on his heels, Harry walked briskly to his room so he could have a little time to prepare himself for his meeting with Dumbledore. Opening the door, he found the wizard standing next to Hedwig's cage. He and Hedwig were staring out at the window at what appeared to be a day that, under normal circumstances, would be beautiful. However, Harry had stopped seeing everyday beauty.

"Hello Harry."


	2. Explanations and Changes

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Explanations and Changes

"You are a bit early, Professor," Harry said.

"Maybe you're a bit late, Harry," the aged Professor replied not turning from the window.

"How about we compromise and say that we are both right on time," Harry asked with a bit of annoyance. He didn't feel like joking around.

Turning away from the window, wearing a small smile, Dumbledore answered, "Good idea, Harry. It is good that I see that you can manage a smile and a small joke. However, it pains me that it reflects the fact that you are suffering. How are you doing? I will not accept the default 'I'm fine' as an answer because anyone can tell that you are far from fine."

Harry nodded and replied, "I promise that fine won't be in my answer but that answer has to wait a minute as I need to send some letters."

At this, Hedwig turn her amber eyes toward Harry with a look that plainly said '_you have to be kidding me!'_

"I'm sorry Hedwig but I am afraid that you will be quite busy over the next couple of days. Besides, I know you love all of this work I've for you. I got two letters for you right now," Harry said as he was picking up the letters for Luna and Neville. "You do not have to fly as fast as you did yesterday but I need these delivered. This one is to Luna," Harry said tying the folded piece of paper to Hedwig's left leg, "and this one is for Neville," tying the other piece to her right leg. "Don't dawdle on your way back. I'll have three more for you. Now, off you go!"

Hedwig took off with a sour look in her eyes.

Turning back to Professor Dumbledore, Harry began, "Anyways, I said I'd answer your question Professor as to my state of mind. Well, I have horrid nightmares every night about the mess I caused at the Ministry. As if the actual experience was not bad enough, my mind has manage to misconstrue what really happened to where everybody who was there that night, including you sir, were tortured into insanity then killed. Well, you weren't tortured; you were just killed by Voldemort. I guess even my messed up dreams have some element of truth mixed in with all of the lies since Voldie would not try to put you through pain and risk you counter attacking." As he listened, the twinkle disappeared from Dumbledore's eyes.

Harry concluded, saying, "I also have profound feelings of guilt, which should come as no surprise. The letters I'm sending out are to my friends who I led almost to their deaths. I also have letters for the Order members who came to rescue me from my massive blunder. I don't want to overwork Hedwig so could you give them to the people as see you them?"

The Professor nodded, saying, "Of course, I will Harry."

Grateful for Dumbledore's cooperation Harry said, "I also want to ask permission to share the contents of the prophecy with Hermione and Ron. They will need to know it in order to understand my decision."

Dumbledore gave a nod. "Very well, it is your prophecy to share with whom you want. I can only urge caution about sharing. However, I am not sure how much it matters anymore."

Harry nodded before continuing. "Though my mind is one big mess, I've kind of begun building bridges with the relatives. I decided to grow up a bit. I've been acting civil with the Dursleys and they have reciprocated to a degree. Uncle Vernon no longer glares at when I enter a room. Aunt Petunia no longer watches me every second I'm near her with a mixture of fear, distrust, and loathing. I think I made some unpaved in-roads with Dudley however. I think he has given me some respect for what I have gone through. I think that I might at least consult him a bit."

Dumbledore looked at Harry for a moment, appreciating that the young man in front of him had grown since their last conversation. He replied, "Strange times make for strange alliances. That is impressive Harry. I do not think that many people your age would think to try a course of action like that. Not many adults are able to bury the hatchet like that."

"Thank you Professor. Now that we have covered how I have been doing, let's come to the reason I asked you here today. I've decided how I am going to fight Voldemort." Harry paused for a second and closed his eyes. "I've accepted that I am going to have to kill him. In order to get to a position where I can kill him, I will have to kill a multitude other people. Now that I have the mental crap out of the way I need to be able to know how to fight. I need to learn how to kill. I need to be able to fight by myself also. This is my fight now since I am the only one who can kill Voldemort."

Dumbledore did not like the direction Harry's thoughts appeared to be headed. He asked, "Harry, what do you mean exactly that you 'have the mental stuff out of the way'?"

"When I first heard the prophecy, I was horrified that I would have to kill someone. I've made my peace with that fact. Any Death Eater who gets in my way, they will no longer breathe. I'll put them down like the mad dogs they are and I will _not_ mourn them. They don't warrant that kind of compassion when they never shown it to anyone in their lives." Harry's hatred could be heard clearly in his voice.

"Harry," Dumbledore began but Harry cut him off.

"Those things are no longer people, Professor. They gave up their right to be considered people when they took the dark mark and started parading around in those stupid Death Eater costumes." As Harry spoke, horror was slowly filling Dumbledore.

Harry continued, "I will use almost any means to accomplish my goal of killing Voldemort. I will not use the Unforgivable Curses, and I will not sacrifice people in order to kill him. Those are tactics used by Voldemort. I will become ruthless but not that ruthless."

Harry's eyes had opened as he finished. The aged Professor saw that they did shine with the benign light that he had always seen in Harry's eyes no matter what the circumstances were at the time. They now burned with a malevolent hate. If a human could kill with a look, then Dumbledore would be dead now. Somewhere, deep down in his soul, Dumbledore felt a fleeting sense of pity for Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

_I believe there is quotation from that Muggle book __Catch 22__, _Dumbledore thought to himself. _They are "up shit creek without a paddle"_.__

After allowing what he had said to sink in to his headmaster's mind, Harry continued. "Professor, I know I won't like what I will become and I know that the methods I will use may horrify and shock people. I have a feeling that my parents, Sirius, and Lupin will be disappointed in the path I have chosen, but, frankly, I don't give damn anymore. While there may be other strategies of defeating Voldemort, it's my choice I have chosen this one."

Dumbledore said nothing as Harry continued. "I do not know nor really care about what happens after I kill Voldemort but, as you always say, I have some theories. I may become like Moody, paranoid about everything. I may become something akin to a mad dog and might have to be put down. I may just fade away to some place so I won't be bothered. I may end up a drunk."

Harry could see a grim look begin to creep into Professor Dumbledore's eyes. The old Professor suddenly looked considerably older. Heaving a sigh from his soul, Dumbledore looked at Harry and said, "I can tell you have put a great deal of thought into your decision. I suspect that you are going to be like your father who, once he set his mind on something, never stopped going for it."

"Yeah, he tried to get my mother to go out with him for two or more years before she finally conceded," Harry said with a small smile.

Dumbledore relaxed a bit upon seeing Harry calm down a bit and smile. "As that is the case, I will help you in any way I can. It would be better for me to help point you in the right directions rather than have you blindly finding your path. What would you like me to do?"

Harry had given considerable thought to what his needs are and begin, "Well, in order to be able to practice all summer, which I will no doubt need to do, I need to appeal to someone at the Ministry to grant me exemption from the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery."

"We can speak to Minister Bones after we finish this meeting to get that straightened out."

"Hold the phone! Did you say _Minister_ _Bones_?" Harry exclaimed as his eyes went wide.

"Yes a few days ago Fudge was thrown out of office, very much in disgrace I might add for our enjoyment. Amelia Bones, who use to be the director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, was voted in as the new Minister."

Harry nodded. "I remember her from my trial last year. She seemed to actually believe me about the Dementor attack. She seemed like a good person. Didn't she raise Susan Bones, a Hufflepuff in the same year as me?"

"Yes, she has raised Susan since she was a baby. Susan's parents were killed by Death Eaters back during Voldemort's first reign of terror when she was only a few months old."

"Then that's that for me. I got to know Susan kind of well last year. She was in the D.A. She is a really well rounded, nice person. Do you think I should tell Minister Bones how well I thought Susan did last year during her stint in the D.A.?"

Dumbledore gave a small smile at Harry description and said, "Yes, I think it would be okay to mention it. It might even help us make our case."

Harry sat a moment, apparently mulling over something. "I'm glad that we now have someone like Minister Bones in power. The wizard population as a whole seems to be a herd of sheep that are herded around by the Minister though with Fudge they were more like lemmings, the way they were willing to follow him to their destruction. It sickened me. At least with Bones they will have someone who isn't guarantee to lead them to their deaths."

They sat in silence for a minute, each occupied by their thoughts. Harry finally said, "I think we should share the contents of the prophecy with her also. It would, at least I think so, make getting the exemption almost a certainty. I think we can trust her with the knowledge, too."

"Yes, I think we can trust her. What else do you have on your agenda for defeating Voldemort?"

"With all due respect, don't you mean _killing_ Voldemort, Professor? That is my ultimate goal. I equate saying defeat instead of kill as people saying You-Know-Who instead of Voldemort."

Dumbledore hid his indignation at being reminded to follow one of his own sayings. "Point taken. what else is needed?"

"I'll need to get my Apparition license. Last year, when I was bored and didn't have anything to do, I read up on the theory and practiced a little. I even have managed to do it without any noise. If I did not know better, once I get my license, I would give into the temptation of Apparating behind Moody and check to see if he practices what he preaches, 'Constant Vigilance!' I know if I'd get hexed into oblivion or give the poor guy a heart attack."

"Yes, I agree that would not be a good idea," Dumbledore said with a small grin. "What else do you need?"

"Well, the laundry list is as follows. If you could tutor me yourself, it would be great, seeing as how you are the only wizard to have lived after dueling Voldemort. I also need work through sixth and seventh years' materials in about of a third of the time it would usually take. The subjects would be Charms, Transfiguration, and of course Defense Against the Dark Arts. I want to get through them by the end of the summer. Well, at least my sixth year education this summer. Then during the school year I would learn stuff that is above N.E.W.T. level.

Dumbledore nodded as Harry continued, saying, "Speaking of school, I think it might not be wise for me to live in the Gryffindor tower. I'll set up a house like Hagrid or something. It will be too dangerous for other students considering what books and such I might have around. It will also prevent awkward questions from being asked. I know there will be some if I don't attend school but they will be easier to answer then the questions that might be asked if I do attend."

"We should leave your living arrangements till the end of the summer, Harry, and focus on the summer. We'll figure out what we'll do during the school term when we get there," Dumbledore said.

"Whatever happens, it seems like your decision to not make me a prefect is turning into a very good thing. I doubt I would be able to carry out the duties required of a prefect." Harry said with a smirk.

"Anyways, I also need to get a lot of books. I think some need to be able to cast the darker spells, not just defending against them. I'll need them as much as anything else. During the battle at the Ministry, Dolohov used a curse that was very powerful. It knocked me for a loop even after I block it with a shield. It is the one that caused Hermione's injury and that was after it was weakened by Hermione hitting Dolohov with the Silencingcharm."

"'Those who do learn from history are doomed to repeat it'. I have forgotten who said it but is about as true a statement as there can be," Dumbledore said in a sagely voice.

"Yes, and continuing on the note of learning from history, I also need to work on my body. I need to purchase weight training equipment to build up muscle and physical strength. I also need to learn some hand-to-hand combat techniques I also need to learn basic unconventional techniques for taking out opponents. After the Order members showed up, I was trying get out of that room with Neville when someone grabbed me from behind and almost choked the life out me. I could not cast any spell because I couldn't breathe. I only got out it because Neville jabbed the Death Eater in the eye with a wand."

"I think that Kingsley could help with the hand-to-hand combat. I believe he is one of the top melee fighters the Aurors have. What's next?" asked Dumbledore, realizing how much thought Harry had put into his plans.

"Is it illegal to own two wands?"

Dumbledore slightly arched his left eyebrow. "No, it is not illegal as long as they are both registered under your name. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I want to teach myself to fight with two wands. I could enter a fight using just one and then surprise those who I am fighting by whipping out a second wand. It might give me the ability to cast two spells at once. I could attack with both, attack with one and throw up a shield with the other, or I could put up two shields at once. I already have a nasty attack planned using two wands and the Summoning Charm." Harry ended with a malevolent smirk crossing his face.

"That's an interesting idea, Harry. I think I will be able to convince Fawkes to give up another tail feather, since it appears you are very compatible with his feathers as a wand core, and I have a sneaky suspicion that Mr. Ollivander might welcome the chance to build you another wand."

"I also want to learn about modifying spells."

"What do you mean exactly when you say 'modifying spells'?"

"Maybe instead of just tripping someone, my modified Trip-Jinx would, say, maybe break one or both of the legs. My version of a Reducto might thin out and act like a knife or penetrate the skin and explode on the inside instead of exploding on contact with the person. A Summoning Charm that would pull the person I had cast it on to come at a much faster speed then a regular one, which would suit the idea I have for using it very well. That is what I mean by modifying spells.

Dumbledore considered Harry's words as Harry continued explaining. "The modifications I would make would make the spells very dangerous and therefore I would not let the knowledge of how to cast them known to anybody. We could term the modified spells as 'Battle Spells'. The very fact that they were created is something that will die with me and you."

"Yes, that would be very prudent and yes, I will teach you to modify spells, though I think it might be, believe it or not, easier to create all-new spells with what you have in mind. I'll also impart this knowledge with you. Anything else?"

"Yes, I think it is still prudent for me to learn Occlumency and I think might want to become a Legilimens as well."

"Yes, that would be a wise course of action for us," Dumbledore agreed with a grim nod.

"Well, that is my plan of attack. The schedule for this week, as I see it, is we would go see Minister Bones, then come back here and begin my training. This coming Saturday, I'll need to go to Diagon Alley for the reading of Sirius' will. I'll take that opportunity to meet with Hermione and Ron to explain my situation, make a large withdrawal from Gringotts, and get my second wand. I think I will also take time to create a will of my own. I could also buy all the books I require to fight.

"Speaking of studies, is there some kind of spell, potion, or ritual that can help me learn faster?

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, there is a ritual that we, without doubt, will do called _Utlis Discěre Ritus__,_ which, when roughly translated from its original Latin, means Expedient Learn Ritual. It is quite difficult to perform and can, when not done properly, lead to serious side effects. They can include complete and permanent memory lost, psychotic behavior, and can even cause the brain of the person, who is having the ritual performed on, to explode."

"Professor, you can do it properly, can't you?" Harry said, slightly wide-eyed.

"I think I can." Dumbledore paused to watch Harry's face go pale with a look of panic before cracking a smile. "Just kidding, Harry, I can do it. Properly."

Harry let out a slight chuckle. "You got me Professor."

"I am delighted that I haven't lost my touch. Back when I was at Hogwarts, I was my generation's Weasley twins. Well then, are we finished her?"

Harry nodded. "Yes sir. We've covered everything I wanted to cover."

Standing up Dumbledore said, "Then let's get to the Ministry to see Minister Bones."

Standing up also, Harry asked "How are we going to get there?"

"You are going to go by Floo Powder via Mrs. Figgs fireplace. I will Apparate."

"Then let's get going," Harry said.

"I'll meet you there. I do not want to undo the improved relationship that you have started with the Dursleys," Dumbledore stated and disappeared with a soft pop.

Harry ran down downstairs and out the door to meet Dumbledore at Mrs. Figgs, thankfully without running into any of his relatives.


	3. The Unseen, Unspoken Wrath

Chapter 3

The Unseen, Unspoken Wrath

Harry dashed up to Mrs. Figg front door and knocked with enthusiasm. The old woman opened the door while holding Mr. Tibbles, her cat.

"Hello Harry, how are you doing?"

"Alright, I guess. Haven't seen any dementors recently." Harry said with a small smile. _Doesn't she ever change out of those pink slippers?_ Harry thought. _She was wearing them last year… Well, she has been wearing them for as long as I can remember._

"Thank goodness. I hoped that I was able to help you at your trial last year. The way Fudge was going, ridiculing me; I was not sure how help much I was."

"You did help. In fact, I may have gotten my wand snapped and ended up at Azkaban if it hadn't been for Dumbledore and you. As it turns out, the reason the dementors showed up here was that they were ordered here by Dolores Umbridge. She did it to try to shut me up."

"That's horrible Harry," gasped Mrs. Figg who couldn't imagine someone intentionally setting those hideous creatures on two young boys. "Anyhow Dumbledore was here a minute ago and said that you needed to use my fireplace to get to the Ministry. You aren't in trouble again, are you," Mrs. Figg asked with a somewhat worried-sounding voice as she conducted Harry into the parlor of her house where her fire place was located.

Harry slight smile widened a bit. "No, I am not in trouble this time. Actually, Dumbledore and I are going to fix it with the Ministry so I _will not _get into trouble this summer."

After taking a pinch of Floo powder, Harry turned to face Mrs. Figg. "Well, see you later. Thanks again for all your help."

Turning back to the fireplace, Harry gingerly stepped into the fire and said loudly, "Ministry of Magic!"

Harry felt familiar, unpleasant spinning that accompanies Floo travel. He felt a brief surge of joy when he felt himself getting close to his destination as his spinning slowed a bit. This joy was replaced abruptly with the fear of making a fool of himself in front of a lobby full of people at the Ministry.

_I'm one of the best seekers ever who has only missed the snitch once and that only happened because a bunch of bloody dementors ambushed me. I dodge a basilisk that was over forty feet long for a good bit of time. I evaded a damn Bludger that was cursed to knock my head off. I dodged curses thrown at me by the most power Dark Lord in one hundred years and his most trusted servant. I flew circles around a freaking dragon's head! Given these facts, why the hell can't I land on my feet when traveling via the Floo Network? _Harry thought angrily to himself as the spinning continued to slow. Focusing with all his strength to land on his feet instead of landing on his rump, Harry surprised himself by landing square on his feet. _Hmmm, maybe I just have to focus on landing on my feet. I don't think I did that before. _Harry filed that thought away to be contemplated later as he stepped out of the fire place.

Looking around, Harry saw but wasn't really surprise that everything had been restored to the state it had been before the duel between Dumbledore and Voldemort. Next to The Fountain of the Magical Brethren was Dumbledore, standing with an expression that Harry could not quite read.

Walking up next to the aged Professor, Harry observed, "They shouldn't have replaced the statues. It's just a reminder of how hypocritical the Ministry can be. They need a statue for the fountain but they should have changed the design. Maybe they should have built a statue of you, Professor, seeing as how you are the only one whom Voldemort and his followers ever feared."

"I agree and disagree with you Harry. I agree that they should have used something else as a focal point. However, the magic community is still deep in traditional views and values. It will take the passage of time and steady pressure from people with progressive views to change peoples' hearts and minds. I disagree with the replacement statue being one of me. Besides, there are two wizards that Voldemort has ever feared. You and I are the members of that club. Do you want to have jackets made?" Dumbledore asked with a small smile.

A smirk crept onto Harry face as he said, "Well, by the time I finish my training and finally face him, Voldemort and his Death Eaters will wish that it was you they were facing."

Dumbledore cased a quick sideways glance at the young man standing next to him and saw the malevolent fire had returned to the green eyes that Harry had inherited from his mother. "Harry, you need to be careful. You will be walking a very fine line. I am afraid that if you do not watch out you will fall into darkness and become what you hate and turn against the ideals that you are fighting for."

Shaking his head, Harry replied, "Professor, I know that. I know that in the way I have chosen to fight Voldemort that I will force me to put aside some of my beliefs. Some people might think that I will have become the like the very people that I hate. What I truly believe will keep me anchored to the good person that I am. The love I have towards others which is the power that I have that Voldemort has not will help me. Well, 

at least it appears that way going by experience. Anyways, though it will be hidden deep inside me, my heart and love will always be there and it will be my anchor to the good."

Dumbledore let out an unnoticeable sigh of relief. "Harry, you speak with more wisdom then some wizards twice your age exhibit. I must admit that I always somehow manage to underestimate you. I must say, though this tendency shames me a bit and I know it must insult you a bit at hearing me admit it, but it is refreshing to have you keep surprising me all the time. I have to keep reminding myself that although you are only fifteen physically, you are at least sixty years old mentally," Dumbledore finished with an unreadable expression. Harry didn't notice that hint of sadness in Dumbledore's voice over the fact that he had grown old so quickly.

Harry replied, somewhat hastily in order to try and cover up the fact that what he said before, what Dumbledore described as wisdom beyond his years, was one part truth and two parts bullshit that he had just spewed, "Well, I might be sixty mentally but I still have the impatience of youth. When are we going to meet with Minister Bones? I am keen to start training."

In truth, what Harry said describe his "love anchor" as thick as a rope; in reality it was going to be closer to a thin, very fine strand of silk. Harry knew that that strand was going to be pulled to the breaking point since what he planned on using as fuel for his one man war machine was going to be pure, boiling hatred. He briefly wondered if his quest to rid the world of Voldemort was going to cost him his soul and humanity that he had prided himself on in years past. He decided that he did not really care; if it was his soul, humanity, and sanity that could be traded for a world free of Voldemort then so be it.

_It's an even trade in my book,_ Harry thought darkly.

Checking his complex and strange watch, Dumbledore replied, "Right now. I sent Fawkes ahead with a note requesting a meeting with Minister Bones and that the subject concerned you and Voldemort. She sent Fawkes back saying she could meet with us in ten minutes. Fawkes came back eight and a half minutes ago with that note so we should make our way towards the Minister's office."

After submitting to a search and wand check by the same badly shaven wizard named Eric that Harry recognized from the previous summer, Dumbledore swept Harry off to the Minister Bones' office, which appeared to be located just off the atrium through a passage that Harry had not noticed before.

"Professor, I never noticed this passage before, when was it put it?" Harry asked.

"Harry, the Minister of Magic's office is spelled in a way that it will only appear to people who have an appointment, a head of one of the departments, or someone in the presence of a head," Dumbledore replied.

Harry found that in order to get to the reception area through a translucent glass door that had an intricate design of

_Minister_

_Of Magic_

_Amelia Bones_

It was written in thick lettered, platinum calligraphy. Due to the nature of design, Harry guessed that it must be enchanted to change every time a new Minister of Magic took office.

Sitting behind a desk was witch with long black hair and blue eyes. Harry guessed she was somewhere around twenty years old. As he and Dumbledore crossed the threshold, she looked up and did not manage to hide her amazement. Here were the two most famous (and rumored to some of the most powerful) wizards and they were both in the same room with her. She unconsciously smoothed the front of her robes as she stood to address them but Dumbledore beat her to the first words spoken.

"Miss Cromwell, would you please tell Minister Bones that we are here for our impromptu meeting," Dumbledore requested with a trademark benevolent smile.

Harry saw the young witch flush at the fact that Dumbledore remembered her from Hogwarts. In a flash the witch had opened the door behind her and stuck her head through the crack. Harry saw the back of her head give a slight nod and she turned back around.

"Professor Dumbledore, Mr. Potter, the Minister will see you now."

"Thank you, Miss Cromwell. I will be sure to pass on the news of your success to Professor Sprout. She will be please to hear about it."

The little skin on Miss Cromwell's face that had returned to her normal tone blushed again and her face cracked in to wide smile. Giving a slight nod, she said "Thank you Professor Dumbledore."

Harry knew that what he was about to say might make the blush almost permanent and would surely fuel a little more gossip about him.

"Please Miss Cromwell, it's just Harry," he said looking into her blue eyes and flash a smile filled with charm as he walked by her into the Minister's office.

Harry found himself in an office that had a simple elegance to it. It had a rounded-rectangular shape, a dark wood floor that was mostly cover by an oriental rug that had what Harry recognized from primary school as a Mandelbrot Set fractal set in purple and gold background. Opposite from where Harry and Dumbledore stood was Minister of Magic Amelia Bones, who at the moment seemed engrossed in a lengthy scroll of parchment. Her reading a document when he and the Professor walked in seemed a tad 

too cliché for Harry. Mentally shrugging, Harry guessed that politicians did the little act to show that they did not wait for others, that others waited for them. _Well, whatever floats your boat, Minister,_ Harry thought.

After having Dumbledore and Harry wait patiently for two minutes, Minister Bones set down the piece of parchment and surveyed the two. Harry saw that she had traded the monocle he had seen her sport last year for a pair of half-moon glasses. Clasping her hands together that made it look like she was about to start praying, she asked, "So, what about V-V-V," the Minister paused to collect herself, "Voldemort brings the two of the most famous wizards ever to my office today?"

Dumbledore began to open his mouth but Harry beat him to it. "Minister, did you ever find out why Voldemort sent his Death Eaters to the Department of Mysteries and later showed up himself at the Ministry, destroying the lies that had hid his resurrection?"

The Minister pursed her lips. "No, we have not Mr. Potter. I am guessing you do know?"

"A few months before I was born, a prophecy was made. It said:

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches,_

_Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies_

_And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not_

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives_

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies_.

Amelia's face fell, her feelings of sympathy towards the boy etched on her face. _Fate is a cruel mistress,_ she thought ruefully. _This poor boy has the fate of the entire world on his shoulders._

"My problem, Minister," Harry continued," is that I fit it perfectly. I was born at the end of July; my parents defied Voldemort three times. The lightning bolt scar on my forehead is his mark that makes me his equal. The power I had that he did not know about is the protection that my mother gave me when she died trying to save me."

"So, since you fit the prophecy that means that you are the only one who can kill him. Am I right?" Bones asked.

"You are correct, Amelia," Dumbledore answered.

"So, since you are apparently our only hope, what can I do to assist you in reaching the goal of getting rid of that scum Voldemort?"

"Well, I need to start training right away. A goal I have for the summer is to finish at least my sixth year work. In order to avoid any trouble with the Ministry and the underage restrictions, I need to be exempted from that law. It isn't much of a stretch, make an exception for me seeing as I have about thirteen months before I am of age," Harry answered.

"I expect that you will also want to get your Appartation license, right?"

"Yes ma'am, I do want to get it," Harry said with a nod.

Minister Bones rested her chin on her clasped hands. Her eyes shifted down towards her oak desk. She did not say anything for awhile. Every few moments her eyes flicked up to Harry's green eyes as if she were trying to read something from his face. After what seemed like five minutes, she seemed to come to decision and sat up straight.

"All right," Amelia said, her voice not giving any hint of what she might have been thinking, "you are exempted. I'll quietly clear it with Mafalda Hopkirk so that you are no longer watched for under age magic. Albus, could you give me and Mr. Potter a few minutes alone?"

Dumbledore's piercing eyes narrowed a bit and then flicked down to Harry. After seeing Harry nod, he replied, "Of course. Harry I will wait for you in the lobby." Dumbledore gracefully got up from his chair, his face not betraying his feelings of unease at this strange request.

After waiting for the door to close completely, Minister Bones waved her wand at the door. Harry saw the wall glow light blue for a minute. "That's a special spell that prevents anyone from eavesdropping on our conversation. What we discuss does not leave this room. Is that understood?" After getting a nod from Harry, Amelia continued. I asked the Professor to leave because I do not think he would approve of what I was thinking just now. Now, are you only going to train hard in order to only fight Voldemort, Mr. Potter?"

"If you mean I won't bother with his Death Eaters, I will. Fighting them is the same as fight him in my book. The fewer Death Eaters there are the weaker Voldemort will be. And please Minister, it is just Harry."

"Are you planning on using non-lethal methods?"

Harry's expression darken as he said, "I went into the fight at the Department of Mysteries using non-lethal methods. It almost got five of my friends killed. It did get my godfather killed. In the fights to come I will not hold back; I will be aiming to kill," Harry finish. He realized that he just admitted to the Minister of Magic that he planning on killing. He knew that this confession could land him in Azkaban for the rest of his life but he had a funny feeling that she was expecting to hear him say it; that she had wanted to hear him say it.

"So, you are saying that planning on committing murder?" Bones continued to press for clarity on Harry's position.

"No, to commit murder is implying that it was another human being who was killed. Death Eaters, in my opinion, stopped being human beings when they took the mark and started to march around in the Death Eater uniform."

Bones smiled and leaned back into her chair. "Those are my sentiments exactly Harry. Now, are you familiar with the methods that Barty Crouch employed the last time Voldemort was at large?"

"Yeah, he gave the Aurors more power. They could kill instead of just capturing and could use the Unforgivable Curses to interrogate if they needed to."

"Yes, he used very brutal methods. While they worked pretty well short term, it gave the Ministry a bad name for years afterwards. My Aurors have the power to kill but only if they absolutely have to kill; that is about as close to Crouch's methods as I am going to get. I do not want to use methods that make us, the Ministry, look bad." She paused and Harry nodded his understanding.

"History teaches us that using such viscous methods ensures the peace that comes after the fighting cease lasts only as long as it takes for someone who despised (or just wants to use other people who have those sentiments) the way the Ministry conducted itself during the war to gather enough followers and power to bring about a new age of chaos in war. That is why I am not going to follow Barty's code of conduct.

"I said I have nothing but distain for the Death Eaters and have no qualms about wiping them from the face of this earth and I mean it. However, as I said before, I cannot have the Aurors fight the way I want them to because of the repercussions. Those methods not only hurt the Ministry's image, they increased the stress endured by the Aurors. That pressure can have horrendous consequences for the average Auror. I believe you have meet Alastor Moody?" Harry nodded.

Bones paused for a minute to take a sip of water and this gave Harry a chance to take in what she just said. She wanted to wage total war against Voldemort but her hands were tied because of the peace that it would create in the aftermath when the sounds of battle ceased. Harry had a hunch where she was going with this; Harry had a feeling that he had just gained a very powerful ally.

"This is where you come in Harry. I believe you can do some real damage to Voldemort's forces. They won't be able to predict what you will do. I know they will have spies somewhere in the Ministry that might be able to get them information about our attacks and such or they might kidnap someone and torture the information out of them. However, I will be the only one who will know about you and even then I will not 

know anything except that you are doing something. What you do and how you do it will be only known to you."

Bones' took out a sheet of paper from her desk, quickly wrote something on it and waved her wand over making it glow a bloody red. "Potter, this is a pardon from me for anything that you might do against Voldemort and his Death Eaters and I do mean anything. This is a hunting license and I expect you to invoke it. You will only need this if you are caught hunting by someone. You are to show them this and they will read it, accept it, and then it will modify their memory to forget what they just saw and the ten minutes before and the ten minutes after will be hazy, at best. This will protect you. You are going to be an assassin in the shadows. If you pull this off, then no one will know it is you who is doing the extermination of the Death Eaters unless you tell them without showing them this paper.

"Now Harry, the targets you are going to terminate with extreme prejudice are only going to known Death Eaters. What I mean by 'a known Death Eater' is someone who has been found guilty of being one in the past, someone wearing the Death Eater uniform, or someone with the Mark. No one else is to be killed. Is this understood?"

"Yes, Minister. I will be the unseen wrath of the Ministry and wizard community. I will become the bane of Voldemort's existence."

"Exactly," the Minister answered with a smirk. Her face relaxed into a gentle smile before she asked, "Now, is there anything else Harry? Do you have any questions?"

"Yes, how is Susan doing," Harry ask with a slight grin.

Bones relaxed and returned his grin. "She's doing well."

"She was the reason I knew you were a good person for this job, as you raised her. I got to know her a little bit through the D.A. Did she tell you about it?"

"Dumbledore's Army, yes, she told me about it. She expects that she will get an Outstanding on her Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. because of it."

"I am happy to hear that. Dolores Umbridge was not teaching us anything. The students in the D.A. knew that they needed more and therefore answered my friends carefully place invitations. Susan did really well; I'd say she was in the top ten of the twenty-seven involved. We were in our second session of learning Patronus when the D.A. got busted. Thankfully it was only me who got caught. It's too bad; I think that by the end of the next meeting Susan would have had a corporeal Patronus. It looked like it was taking the shape of some kind of dog, a big dog, maybe a wolfhound. If she could practice over the summer, I would expect that at the beginning of the next term that if I asked her, she would be able to show me exactly what kind of dog her Patronus is."

"Oh, I think I will be able to enable her to practice this summer on her Patronus. There are ways to mask magic from Mafalda Hopkirk," Madame Bones replied with a smirk.

"It's a shame then that I won't be able to lead the D.A. again this year since even if I return to Hogwarts this year every waking moment I will be training or out hunting." Harry said, grinning maliciously. He got a similar smile from Bones before he continued. "The D.A. was my one relief from Umbridge since I had been banned from Quidditch. It was fun."

"Well then Harry, after all this is over and you have taken a few years of rest and healing, you might want to consider teaching at Hogwarts. I know you most likely said you wanted to be an Auror but I think you might be best at passing on knowledge to future generations. Susan said that it was not only her who felt that she had done well on her Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.; she said a bunch of other fifth years felt that they had gotten Outstanding and it was because of your tutorship."

The side of Harry mouth twitched faintly. "Well Minister, I'm not thinking about of the future beyond the war right now; it is too distracting," Harry said in a way politely suggesting that the subject be dropped.

Minister Bones picked up on his meaning. "Just some food for thought, Harry. Well, I believe this has been a very productive meeting." They both stood up and shook hands. As Harry turned to leave, Bones called him back. "Hold up for one second, Harry. I have one more thing to tell you about your participation in the war, as being the assassin in the shadows: You might hear me quoted in the Daily Prophet condemning your actions, saying that the Ministry does not condone the actions of vigilantes since they are breaking the law etc., you know the kind of political dribble that I will speak. It might sound like I am withdrawing my support from you but I am not. You will not be a vigilante since you _do_ have the permission of the Ministry and you are acting out a mandate that was given to you. This will also give me more opportunities to cover you. I will be saying vigilantes to imply that there is unquestionably more than one person involved.

"Unfortunately, we must treat this service to the as 'volunteer work'. This means you will not be rewarded in anyway, monetary or otherwise. This is to protect your shadow status. However, at the end, I will try and find a way to reward you, maybe with an Order of Merlin, First Class. No, strike that 'maybe' as I will get you one. I will also try and swing some type of monetary reward to you."

"I kind of figured you would have to condemn what I will do. As you said, I will be acting for the Ministry and all. Have a nice day Minister and say hi to Susan for me and to work on her Patronus; I will want to see it on the Hogwarts Express. That is if I return to Hogwarts next year. Thank you for your help Minister."

After shaking hands once more, Harry left the office and, after flashing another smile and telling Miss Cromwell to have a nice day, headed to the lobby to meet with Professor Dumbledore. Harry found him waiting by the elevators.

"Harry, do you mind if I ask what it was that Minister Bones and you talked about after I left?" Dumbledore asked as Harry walked up to him. As he looked at the teen, he had a slight look of apprehension.

"Oh, we just talked about Susan and the D.A. Bones said that Susan and the other fifth years felt that they had most likely gotten an Outstanding on their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. because of it. She said that I should seriously consider being a teacher," Harry said in as normal of conversational tone as possible, hoping that Dumbledore would be satisfied with a half-truth.

"I concur will her assessment. I wanted to watch the practical exams for the Defense Against the Dark Arts to see how well your students did so I snuck back into the castle for it. I was very impressed with how well they did. You should consider becoming a professor as a career. I sensed that you enjoyed teaching those students. Teaching can be one of the most rewarding careers, though it does not pay as well or is as exciting as being an Auror. However, for some people it is worth more gold then exists in the world. They find it thrilling to pass knowledge along to future generations. Ask any Hogwarts professor and they will affirm what I just said-- I know it was when I still taught directly. The title 'Professor' before one's name is a nice fringe benefit, too," Dumbledore finished with a mischievous smile. "It makes people sound and feel distinguished."

"Well Professor, I will say that I did enjoy it immensely. However," Harry began to harden his voice, "I am not going to think about it for a long while. As I told the Minister, I find thinking about the future beyond the war distracting and detrimental to my training." The tone that Harry changed to was hard and gruff. He hoped it made it clear that the discussion was over.

"Noted," Dumbledore said with an uneasy twitch of his cheek, "Shall we go get you your Appartation license?"

"Yes, the sooner I get it the sooner I can start training."

The pair strolled into an elevator and Harry pressed the button that would take them to level six where the Department of Magical Transportation was located. The gate opened to reveal a narrow hallway. Unlike the Department of Magic Law Enforcement, which had an open floor plan, the Department of Magical Transportation was completely closed. Despite being brightly illuminated, the sparse hallway was somewhat depressing. The doors for the four sub-departments of the DMT were spaced evenly with about fifty feet between them. Its normality was in stark contrast to the rest of the building.

"The Apparition Test Center is the last door on the right," Dumbledore said and they began the trek down the long hall.

Upon reaching the door, Harry looked up at Dumbledore for direction. "Go on in Harry, they are expecting you. I will wait for you here," Dumbledore said as he conjured a simple cushioned chair.

"Alright, see you soon, hopefully in one piece," Harry joked with the sad smile that once again did not reach his eyes. They reflected the chaos Harry had within his mind.

Dumbledore watched Harry go through the translucent glass door before sitting down onto his chair. For one of the few times in his life, Dumbledore let his emotions show on his face.

"Oh Harry, I am afraid for you," Dumbledore worried aloud, his face falling under the weight of his anxiety. It was not Harry's physical well-being that Dumbledore feared for; it was Harry's mental health that occupied Dumbledore's fears. The apathy that Harry now held for his future was one of many signs that spelled trouble for the youth. Closing his eyes, Dumbledore began to work through the possible outcomes for a post-war Harry if he survived the final battle with Tom.

Dumbledore had a shrewd guess as to where the dark path that Harry had chosen for himself might lead him. He had a feeling that Harry would end up fighting every chance he got and might even take enjoyment from the macabre scenes that he would paint with his wand. Harry would not give quarter to any Death Eater he encountered; Harry would kill them without mercy.

_And he will do it _i_n very brutal fashions by the sound of those 'Battle Spells' that he wants to create. He won't need to learn any of the darker spells as those spells will be powerful enough for what Harry intends, _Dumbledore thought with a slight mental shudder.

Dumbledore knew that, despite having a great, albeit small group of friends who had mostly gotten over the fact that he was insurmountably famous, Harry had always been a loner of sorts. The fact that in order to carry out his plan, Harry will push everybody, not just the people he cares for, away would just bring it to the foreground in everyone else's mind.

Dumbledore knew that Harry would distance himself in part because he would want to protect the innocence of his friends, not just from physical injury. Despite having fought with some of them at the Department of Mysteries a week ago, Dumbledore had a feeling that Harry knew that, despite them being in an all out fight for their lives, there was still a great deal of horrors in the world that people should not have to experience but that _he_ would have to in order to triumph over Voldemort. Being a true Gryffindor, Harry would brave all the horrors of the war so that his friends would not have to face them.

The other reason Harry might distance himself Dumbledore believed to be a much darker reason. Dumbledore suspected that Harry had for wanted to try and untangle himself from other peoples' lives is to bury the side of his personality that most people know, nice Harry.

Throughout his long life, Dumbledore had studied the human psyche. Although every person is extremely unique and has many layers of personality, there are a few universal traits that everyone posses. One of these traits is that everyone has a dark area of their mind. This darkness is where the ability (and in some cases the desire) to cause other people pain in very cruel ways, to seriously hurt and torture people. In most people, that area is sealed off and that seal is only broken if circumstances are exactly right; something traumatizing, something that breaks through the normally strong barriers.

The fact that this darkness is, unfortunately, the dominant trait in some people is the reason that strife exists in society. Whether hard-wired through genes or developed through culture, it would always be present. When it appears in a loner, you get people like Jack the Ripper. The real trouble occurred when people with this type of personality gather into a group with a strong, charismatic leader. When that situation like that comes about you get a situation like Hitler and his Nazis or the present situation of Voldemort and his Death Eaters.

Dumbledore knew that it is a cycle that will always be repeated as long as humans exist. _Only a dead man has seen the end of war_, Dumbledore thought, remembering the wise words of Plato.

Dumbledore also knew that most people would in an almost arrogant manner reject the idea that a dark area of their mind exists and that they would never do anything like what the Death Eaters have done. Dumbledore pitied those fools and yet at the same time envied them for their innocence and naïve thinking. Dumbledore had been in touch with his own darker side and knew it was not a pretty thing and tried to seal it from the rest of his conscious mind.

Harry, Dumbledore believed, found out about the dark recess in his own mind during the fight in the Department of Mysteries, probably when he went after Bellatrix, and he now wants to release the beast from its cage. That was Harry's other objective for separating himself from the people in his life that he cares for and who care for him. Harry would never be able to fully let the monster run free in his mind if he stayed around his friends where his good nature saturates his being.

_So, Harry wants to destroy the Death Eaters and Voldemort, punishing them for their crimes. However, the Harry we all know and love cannot carry out this plan so Harry intends to call on his dark side, the ruthless killer without mercy that is in part of his soul. That's your plan, isn't Harry?_ Dumbledore worked out in his mind.

However, Dumbledore saw the flaw in Harry's plan. Just as nobody could ever get rid of the darkness that clouds a small corner of their mind, no one could let go of the 

good person that they are and only embrace the darkness no matter how hard they tried. From the short conversations he had had with Harry, Dumbledore gathered that Harry was only going to repress the "good Harry" with the hope that maybe someday he could return to being as close to that Harry as he could.

_And therein lies the problem_, Dumbledore thought to himself. _No matter how far down the old Harry that we all know and love is buried, he will still be there and create a great dissonance within Harry's subconscious mind. The good-natured Harry will fight tooth and nail with the darker Harry about what conscious Harry is doing. This will not end well._

Dumbledore knew through experience that no one anywhere can endure subconscious turmoil of that magnitude for very long. If it is left unchecked then it will drive the person in question into madness that could lead to the mad dog scenario that Harry described where he would have to be "put down" or the madness would cause the person to turn their wand on themselves. However, given Harry's good nature, Dumbledore believed it would be the latter of two if this scenario played out.

Though that possible outcome was a worst-case scenario if Harry proved to be the victor, the best-case scenario that Dumbledore foresaw was not much of an improvement. If Harry is able to reconcile the two opposing sides in his mind find a middle ground of sorts, then he might be able to live a somewhat normal life. However, for this outcome to come about it would take time, on the order of at least a decade. Even then Harry would never be close the easygoing, well-manner, and benevolent person that Dumbledore had known for the past five years and he, Harry, would make himself an outcast of sorts (a recluse at best), shrinking from any contact with other people. It would take something of untold power to alter that timeline and personality prediction. It would have to be so powerful that Dumbledore could not fathom what it could be.

Then, of course, was the outcome that the absolute worse outcome was that it would be Tom who survives the battle between him and Harry. Dumbledore knew that it might seem cold to some people that it would be better that Harry kills Tom at the cost of his sanity. He had a feeling that Harry probably felt the same. It would be a hollow victory but it would still be a victory.

_However this war plays out, it is looking like Harry has a grim future. That is if he actually triumphs over Tom, _Dumbledore thought.

_Of course, all these thoughts are pure speculation on my part_. _I should not assume anything. Assuming outcomes is a big pitfall that I always seem to fall into no matter how hard I try to avoid the fall. However, unlike previous errors, the evidence is pretty clear that this is the path Harry plans on taking. It would be helpful if I knew what Harry and Amelia talked about. What Harry told me was a half-truth and that prevents me from figuring out the truth even with me being a Legilimens, _Dumbledore thought sourly.

"Professor, are you okay?"

Dumbledore opened his eyes to see Harry standing over him with the sad smile. "I am fine. How did it go Harry?"

The sad smile turned into a smirk. "I managed to scare the person who was testing me. I really do not have a pop when I reappear now. However, I think I've figured out a way to increase the amount of noise I make to be akin to a small explosion that might even cause damage to my immediate surroundings. I could use it to intimidate any enemies thus giving me an edge by messing with their minds. I've personally observed that no matter how strong an opponent might be, getting inside their head like that, causing fear to build up is a very sound tactic. You and Voldemort use it passively whenever you get into a fight. People are so scared of Voldemort that they do not even say his name; if you put them up against him, they would wither and be an easy target. You strike fear into the hearts of all Death Eaters and make Riddle nervous. When you showed up last week, they began to scatter. Those were his top tier Death Eaters, weren't they? When Voldemort arrived, the first thing Bellatrix did after begging for mercy was try to warn him that you were in the building. It also gave me hope and energized me, watching you sprint down the steps into the Death Chamber. The first thing I thought when I say you appear was 'They', meaning the Order members, my friends, and me, 'were saved'."

Dumbledore stood, "Harry, you are right in trying to figuring out tactics for fighting opponents. You have figured out what many do not ever know; that fighting is not just flinging spells back and forth but a multi-faceted situation that can be approached by any number of paths. It is clearly apparent that the Death Eaters _will_ come to fear you. It's too bad were not in the middle of a term because your reasoning today would be worth at least fifty points. Well, ready to go and start your training?"

"Yes sir, I am ready."

"Then after you, Harry."

The pair vanished silently.


	4. Utlis Discěre Ritus

Chapter 4

_Utlis Discěre Ritus_

Upon returning to Harry's room, Dumbledore began to set up for the _Utlis Discěre Ritus_. With a look of immense concentration, he began to draw with his wand intricate shapes within a circle on the floor of Harry's room. They looked similar to the tribal tattoos that Harry had seen before on various people. Upon completing the drawings, Dumbledore conjured a dozen, rather large black candles that were a couple of inches in diameter and floated them at different heights at the points of the shapes before turning off all the lights and sealing the window and cracks around the door, throwing the two of them into almost complete darkness. The candles were the only source of light, bathed the room in eerie shadows, and filled Harry with a sense of foreboding.

Dumbledore conjured a short knife, whose shiny blade reflected the ghostly light given off by the candles sinisterly, and a glass vial.

"Harry, I am going to need to take some of your blood for this. I wish there was another way but the ceremony requires the blood of the person on who it is perform. It is only a small amount and I will heal the cut immediately. I swear it will be painless."

Fighting back a flashback of the ritual that brought Voldemort back into flesh, Harry nodded and rolled up his sleeve. After holding it out towards the Professor, Harry watch as Dumbledore approached it and took it softly into his surprisingly smooth hands. Turning away, Harry closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, waiting for the pain that would accompany the knife biting into his flesh. After waiting a minute, he began to wonder why Dumbledore would not just get it over with and slice his arm.

Harry was getting increasingly angry at the delay of the bloodletting when Dumbledore said, "Roll down your sleeve Harry; you're all done."

Harry eyes popped open and hurriedly looked at his arm. Seeing no mark whatsoever, he looked up and saw Dumbledore holding the vial that was now about half of the way full of his blood.

"I guess the required blood is another thing that stops people from doing this ritual," Harry said with a chuckle as he rolled down his sleeve.

"I would wager a couple of gallons on that," Dumbledore said with a small smile as he began to walk around the room. Stopping next to each of the candles, he used his wand to put some of Harry blood on each of the candles. They began to give off an eerie red light after receiving the blood and the flames, which had been flickering, began to move in what looked like a choreographed dance.

"Professor, why are the candles not going out when you put my blood on the wick? Blood, while it can boil, is not flammable and would extinguish the flames," Harry posed the obvious question.

"Yes, normally your blood would extinguish the flames. However, the points of the array the candles are positioned above prevent this from happening. It also is the cause of the dance that the candles seem to be doing."

"What's an array, sir?"

"An array is what the drawing on the floor is. That array leads to another, and probably the most probable reason most wizards do not even know of this ritual. The array on the floor is an alchemic array. This ritual is a combination of alchemy and magic." Dumbledore had finished pouring out the blood onto the last candle.

Sensing Harry's next question Dumbledore continued, "You may have heard that alchemy was the study of turning metals into gold and making the of the Sorcerer's Stone. That is the original purpose when it first appeared in Europe after being brought back from the Islamic libraries that were sacked during the First Crusade. It is actually a science with a vast field of study that has many engaging and exciting aspects. Most wizards, however, ignore it altogether except when something happens like what happen your first year at Hogwarts occurs. On a side note, the stone's real name is the Philosopher's Stone, not the Sorcerer's Stone, and does more than just providing the ability to make the Elixir of Life. I am not sure where or when the stone's name got mucked up but is it too widely known as the Sorcerer's Stone now to correct it."

"Okay, got it," Harry said, meaning it. "I wish you still taught, sir. I am not sure how many people there are who could explain it as clearly as you just did."

"Well then Harry it is a shame that you most likely will not be attending Hogwarts this year as a regular student. I am planning on working out a way where I could teach the Defense class. I think I could do it if I can figure out a way to divide up the responsibilities of the Headmaster with Professor McGonagall."

"Well, excuse my language Professor, but damn. I mean damn it to hell! I would have loved to have been taught by you." While swearing, Harry was wearing half of his sad smile. However, deep down in the pit of his stomach, he was boiling with hate. _Yet another thing you have screwed up in my life. I will make you beg for death Voldemort you bastard!_

"What Harry? Did you say something? I went temporarily deaf for a moment." Dumbledore said as he examined his nails.

"Now," Dumbledore said, "we begin the third and last part of the ritual. Before we start, I need to ask something. Harry, do you trust me? You know that I will never intentionally cause you harm in anyway?"

"I have no reason not to trust you, Professor. So yes, I do trust you," Harry said with brow furrowed a bit, wondering where this was going.

"That is good news, because in order to do this ritual, I will need to place you under the Imperius Curse for about two hours. I know you know all about it from your fourth year studies. The chanting that the ritual requires is very long, in Latin, and has to be said at an exact tempo in addition to very intricate dance-like movements. It would take too much time that we do not have for you to learn it and be able to do it."

This statement made Harry's brain freeze for a moment but he quickly recovered. "Well, being put under the Imperius Curse is a serious matter. However, I trust that you will not abuse it. Besides, if you do try to make me doing anything I can break it easily. I resisted Voldemort using all his strength when I got transported from the maze of the third task. So, yes, you have my permission to put me under it."

"That is impressive Harry. Not many wizards can fend off the Imperius Curse much less than one from Tom. Anyways, onwards and upwards Harry, let us get started. I need you to be in the exact center of the array to begin ritual. I'll mark it for you," Dumbledore said. He raised his wand and four points of blue light appeared in the array. "Align your feet with the lights. Yes, good job Harry. I am now going put you under the Imperius. I will be having you say the chants and incantations as well as the movements that are involved and nothing else. Do you have any questions before you go under?"

"Yes, I do actually have a question. Every time I have had the Imperius on me, a voice wakes in the back of my mind. It is what enables me to resist commands. Can that be a problem?"

"Only if it actually interferes with the commands I give you. It can just observe what I am telling you to do, right?"

Harry thought for a second before saying, "Yes, I think I can control it like that."

"Then it will not be a problem. So, are you ready to begin Harry?" After getting a nod, Dumbledore pointed his wand at Harry and muttered, "_Imperio_."

Harry had to fight the urge to jump out of the way of the path of the wand that was currently pointed at him, a reflex that had developed over the years since he found out he was a wizard. He managed to stand still and allowed himself to be hit with the curse. Immediately he felt the wondrous bliss of not thinking, of not having a care in the world. As much as he liked the feeling, Harry did not allow himself to get swept off his feet by it. The strong voice that appeared whenever he felt the Imperius Curse kept him conscious of what he was being told to do by Dumbledore.

_Damn, he was right about it being complex,_ Harry thought as he watched himself begin to chant Latin verses at a fast tempo, as if his mouth was a machine gun and the words were bullets while he did movements that made him look like a ballerina. At some points, the tempo slowed to where it seemed a word took two seconds to say and the 

movements slowed to where Harry would be holding a yoga-like stance for minutes at a time. Dumbledore had Harry altered between the two tempos several times.

_Man, I am going to be sore, sweaty, and hoarse as hell after this!_ Harry thought.

Harry had lost track of time. The number of times he had to alternate between the fast chanting and slow, almost incoherent chants seemed endless. He was beginning to get bored of the ritual. Harry was also starting to worry that, Imperius Curse or not, his body would give out. These two feelings had begun to mix in his stomach when the chanting and movements changed and went faster than Harry thought was humanly possible. He also became aware that he was yelling. His muscles became so tense that they felt like they would rip themselves to shreds. Harry recognized some of the words he was chanting now. They were numbers.

Harry saw the fire from the candles leap from the wicks and begin to encircle him. Soon they turned into a wall of fire. The ground beneath his feet began to glow a sickly orange star that had lime green highlights. Harry himself began to twirl counter-clockwise while the fire began to move clockwise, brushing his fingers. Harry thought he could smell his flesh burning as his arms stretched further and his hands became enveloped in the flames.

The chanting stopped for a second as Harry's lungs filled with air until they felt like they were going to explode. They would have but he bellowed at the last second in an inhuman volume, "FINEM IMPOĔRE Utlis Discěre Ritus!"

Harry felt his body fall as gracefully as a sack of potatoes. He thought that he felt a bone crack but the world blurred and then faded to black.

Harry groaned. His head was pounding so hard from a headache that tears were welling up in his tightly closed eyes. He tried to reach up and massaged his temples but found that his arms were too sore to move. He also found that he could not even move his fingers; they felt like they were tightly bound. Harry groaned again when he realized that his fingers were, in fact, wrapped tightly in bandages through feeling the coarse cloth that the bandages were made of. The only place on his body that did not hurt to move was his eyes, which he opened slowly. They were about halfway opened when he recognized that he was lying in a bed in the hospital wing of Hogwarts. Closing his eyes, Harry tried to grimace but even his mouth hurt too much to move. Letting out an impatient sigh, which was followed by a grunt of pain from the effort of the sigh, he reopened his eyes to evaluate the present situation and find out the damage that had been done to him through the _Utlis Discěre Ritus_.

"Oh, so you are finally awake Mr. Potter." Harry's eyes shifted toward the source of the voice and he saw Madam Pomfrey striding over to him. "Honestly Mr. Potter, I ought to get a plaque made to mark one bed as your own since you have now decided to come in during break, less than a week after the term ended at that! I have not had anyone 

frequent the hospital wing as often as you have and you still have two years before you are finished!"

With a slight grimace of exasperation, she said, "I don't even want to know what you and the Headmaster were doing that caused you to end up in this condition."

A frustrated sigh escaped her, causing a slight case of guilt to build in Harry's mind. Here was yet another person who cared for him, who he kept hurting through his misadventures. Harry quickly stifled the guilt and redirected it as rage towards Voldemort.

"Well, I prefer it here than St. Mungo's. There is no privacy there. In addition, I do not know and therefore do not trust the healers there. Besides, the quality of care I get here I doubt could be matched at St. Mungo's. I have two questions, one having two parts. When and how did I get here and where is Professor Dumbledore?" Harry's stomach churned and he felt like he might be sick from the pain of the act of answering Madam Pomfrey's question and asking the questions he just posed to Madam Pomfrey.

Madam Pomfrey cracked a smile. "Well, aren't you a charmer. Professor Dumbledore brought you here at about 12:00 PM via a Portkey. It is now 5:07 PM. You were unconscious and had moderately bad burns on your hands. Professor Dumbledore looked exhausted himself and is currently recuperating in his office."

"I bet with a large mug of hot chocolate, right?"

"Yes, it is amazing how therapeutic chocolate, in any form, can be. Anyways, he is not my patient, you are, so tell where it hurts and how much it hurts so I can get you the proper strength painkilling potion," she said gesturing at the table behind her that held five different size bottles of various colors and shapes.

"The only thing that does not hurt is my eyes. It hurts, pardon my French, like hell to even talk. The only time I have felt more pain at one time is the times Voldemort had the Cruciatus cast on me. I think I might need the strongest possible painkiller Madam Pomfrey," Harry said in a matter-of-fact tone. He tried to put on his sad smile that never quite reached his eyes but the pain of trying made him grimace.

Madam Pomfrey gave an involuntary shudder when she heard Harry recount getting the Cruciatus Curse cast upon him. "You were born under an unlucky star, Harry," she commented mainly to herself as she poured a generous helping of one of the liquids from an oval shaped, blue bottle.

"You have no idea how right you are Madam Pomfrey," Harry answered sadly.

"Poppy," was the simple reply she gave to him.

"Pardon?" Harry asked.

"I said Poppy, as in what other adults, my friends, call me. I think we are to the point where you can address me in that manner," Poppy said as she handed him the glass with the painkiller. "While you are still underage, you have seen more than wizards three times your age. That, in my book at least, makes you my equal. Now, drink up Harry."

"Alright, Poppy," Harry said with the sad smile that was quickly becoming a trademark for him. He took the offered glass gingerly, using both of his bandaged hands to hold the glass.

Poppy saw the smile and it broke her heart. _What could have happened that could wipe that full-of-life smile from Harry's face, _she thought sadly. She had noticed his normally content and active disposition had waned somewhat after the fiasco at the Ministry of Magic and the meeting he had with Professor Dumbledore immediately afterwards so that he looked pensive and demurred. Though he was putting on a good performance, she could tell through years of counseling students that something was thoroughly eating away at him. However, she fought off the urge to ask him about it. She had also learned through the years that if something was affecting a person to the point where a person's almost entire personality change, as Harry's personality had, it was best to only intervene if the person proved to be a danger to his- or herself. She decided to talk later with Albus about her concerns.

Remembering his prior experiences with other medicinal potions, Harry took a big gulp and downed the entire glass as quickly as he could. It turn out his assumption to gulp it down quickly to avoid repeated encounters with a nasty taste was correct; it tasted like vomit and seared his throat on its way to his stomach. The muscles in his neck tightened for a full minute before a cooling wave flooded over his body and left it tingling. Harry once again thanked the cosmos that wizard medicine was so potent.

"Ah, Mad- Poppy, what about my fingers," Harry asked holding up his still bandaged hands. "How bad were the burns?"

"Oh, they're all better. Give me a second and I get rid of those dressings. The burns were, to equate them to the Muggle burn ratings, about second-degree burns. Some were quite nasty, as they had penetrated deeper into your skin. Those would have left scars had Muggle doctors treated them. The most severe burns might have even required skin grafts." Poppy waved her wand and the bandages disappeared from his fingers.

Harry flexed his fingers a bit before cracking his knuckles to work out all the stiffness. Sitting up a little straighter, Harry preceded to crack his neck before working up and down his back, cracking the joints at almost every in his spine. "Well then, I am glad for magical medicine. I have enough trouble with the scar I already have," Harry muttered as he worked his stiff jaw. "

"That was quite a percussion performance, Harry. You need to be careful when cracking your joints, especially your neck. You never know when you mind push too far or hard and break something. Now, would you like a bit to eat?"

"Yeah, that would be nice. I have not had a chance to eat since breakfast. Mind if I order?"

"Umm, go ahead," Poppy said with a puzzled expression.

Closing his eyes, Harry said "Dobby?" He opened his eyes when he heard a crack to see the little elf standing on his bed. "Hey Dobby, how have you been doing?"

The elf's eyes burst wide and a smile spread across his face. "It is good to see you again, Harry Potter sir! What can Dobby do for you?"

"Could you get me a sandwich Dobby?"

The elf disappeared with a pop. A few minutes later, he materialized with a tray of ham sandwiches.

"Here you go Harry Potter sir. Dobby enjoys helping you whenever he can! Dobby had just finished the work on your room when you summoned me."

"What do you mean you just finish the work on my room Dobby?" Harry asked before taking a bite of the ham sandwich Dobby had brought him before offering one to Poppy which she politely refused. A pang of apprehension began to form in his stomach at the thought of Dobby helping him. Half of the times when Dobby tried to help Harry in the past had resulted in big trouble for Harry. He took another hesitant bite from one of the sandwiches.

"Oh yes, Harry Potter sir, I work very hard sir! Professor Dumbledore came to Dobby a few hours ago and told Dobby that Harry Potter's room needed to be worked on. He gave Dobby very precise instructions and Dobby is happy to report that Dobby has carried out the orders as ordered. Professor Dumbledore said it will help Harry Potter with his quest to defeat He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Harry's stomach unclenched at the knowledge that Dobby had been acting under Dumbledore's orders and followed them exactly and finished off the sandwich. "Thanks Dobby, you're a good friend."

The little elf's eyes filled with tears. "Harry Potter is too kind to Dobby. Harry Potter is a very good wizard."

"Yes, he is a very good wizard but he is going to try and equal that goodness with power," a deep voice said from the entrance of the infirmary. Harry looked and saw Dumbledore standing at the doors. "In order to become more powerful he is going to 

learn much and train hard. It will take some time, so if you are feeling well enough to start and have medical clearance from Madam Pomfrey, we should get to it." After getting nods from Harry and Poppy, Dumbledore continued, "I have a Portkey ready for us so we can get right to it. So, come over here Harry so we can get started."

Harry got up from the bed, stretch some muscles that were stiff and walked over toward Dumbledore who was now holding out a piece of parchment. When Harry step up to the side Dumbledore, he turned back Poppy and Dobby.

"Thank you Poppy and Dobby," Harry said before taking a corner the piece of paper and feeling the familiar tug behind his navel that came with traveling by Portkey.


	5. The Potter Library

I guess it might be about time for me to put in the standard disclaimer: I do not own any rights to Harry Potter and the rest of the Harry Potter Universe. I am thankful that J.K. Rowling put her pen to paper and created Harry's world that has inspired me to write this story. Anything that you do not recognize is mine.

Chapter 5

The Potter Library

Upon landing back in his room, Harry's eyes went wide with the changes made by Dobby to his bedroom. It was now closer to an apartment of penthouse proportions. Harry began to tour it while whistling a low note.

"How much bigger did Dobby make it? I don't have a room, I have a freaking apartment!" Harry said as he turned in circles, trying to take in the changes.

"It is about forty times larger than it was originally," Dumbledore said.

"Whoa, Dobby did all this in a few hours?" Harry queried as he entered what appeared to be the actual bedroom. His smallish window was in the same spot except it was a little bigger. A four-post bed similar to the kind found at Hogwarts had replaced his formerly Spartan-style bed. In one of the corners was an alcove that contained a full bathroom. An elegant ebony-colored marble was used for sink, toilet, and shower with the handles and faucets being a burnish bronze color. The floor was a dark hardwood that was a continuation from the bedroom while the wallpaper was a deep maroon with navy pinstripes. It would have been almost foreboding had it not been for the many light fixtures that gave out a white light that was bright yet soft. "Fancy," Harry commented as he entered the next section, "almost too fancy."

"Yes, Dobby did all this in the few hours that you were unconscious. House elves have magic that endows them to perform the most complex of house-related chores in a very short amount of time and conjure items with incredible detail and Dobby, coming from service for the Malfoys who put great importance on grandeur and such, is quite well verse in conjuring extravagant items. I told him to make your new apartment with a touch of simple elegance.

"Also, unlike items conjured by wizards which, in time, will disappear, items conjured by house elves are permanent. They can conjure anything except for silver, gold, and platinum though they can manipulate them very well. I am not sure, no one is, when but somewhere far back in the history of magic any knowledge of how to conjure those three metals were stripped from the minds of wizards and witches and it has been forbidden for anyone to try to create any spell that would conjure those metals. That is not to say it has not been tried but it is extremely difficult. Merlin was force to try and I did once when I was really bored. Needless to say, neither of us met with any success.

"Getting back to the subject of the impressive magical abilities of house elves, you could say that due to their servitude to wizards, their magic has evolved into a form that is a perfect fit for household duties. Therefore, if they were all set free, as Miss Granger desires and strives for admirably, it could result the extinction of house elves. They would be hard-pressed to adapt. You have already seen the psychological stress it can cause in a house elf by studying Winky who still is in as bad shape as when you last saw her. Our friend Dobby is an extremely rare exception in his desire to live as a freed elf."

_It isn't enough that I am so abnormal,_ Harry thought bitterly, _I attract nutters as abnormal as myself._

"As for the fanciness of the apartment that you now have, I thought that you were due for something like this since you, somehow, managed to grow up in Spartan (though that is being extraordinarily generous) conditions. Let us continue the tour. Oh, I almost forgot, I put a spell on the toilet seat and the floor so that it will not get cold. That can be most uncomfortable."

Harry walked from his bedroom, following the dark wood floor around a new wall, and found himself in a small kitchen. There was an electric, four-burner stove on the far wall that had an attached oven underneath and a microwave above. On both sides there was about three feet of counter-space on one side that led to a pantry and on the other side about two feet that led to a sizable sink around which were a variety of dish soaps. There were cabinets below the counters and about two feet above the counters. Across from the pantry was a cream-colored refrigerator that was the kind that had the freezer on the bottom. In the center of the room was a small round table with six chairs around it that were spaced evenly and comfortably; it and the chairs were stained a light oak color.

Walking up to the refrigerator, Harry opened the door to find out how much space he had to work with concerning how much food he could purchase. His eyes grew wide as he saw it was already full of food and drinks of all sorts. He found that the freezer and pantry also were full of food. Harry peeked in the cabinets and found that they had been filled with pots and pans, plates, glasses, and bowls and every piece of flatware that he could need. Harry began doing a perfect imitation of a fish as his mouth began to open and close rapidly as he searched for the words to describe his amazement.

"Pardon my language Professor but you had Dobby conjure up for me a bloody kitchen that is fully stocked!?" Harry finally managed sputtered from a gaping mouth. "These are brand-new items of the best brands." Harry paused. "Aunt Petunia would kill to have this kitchen."

"The reason that I gave for the fanciness," Dumbledore continued, "of your bathroom and bedroom applies to the entire apartment. The plates, flatware, and such are extra and unneeded items from Hogwarts. As for the food, Dobby converted some of the Gallons you had into Muggle money and bought the various items for you. It did not 

incur any serious damage to your bank account; the exchange rate for galleons-to-pounds is extremely favorable right now with ten pounds for every galleon, which is about double what it normally is.

"I expect your wondering about the electric burners and the other appliances that you will find in your apartment, like the lights in your bathroom. I had Dobby set up a wind-powered generator. I charmed a small hoop to blow air onto a fan at a high speed to turn the generator fast enough to produce the amount of electricity needed. This way, your relatives will not have to pay for the extra demand for electricity. Oh, and the water for your bathroom and the sink and dishwasher in here is set up so the water is recycled so there will not be any extra charges for your relatives there either.

"I also warded off this area to protect it from magic. In the presence of strong magic, electrical equipment goes on the blink and I daresay say that there will be powerful magic occurring this summer here. There is some irony, protecting something against magic with magic. Anyways, next is the library and study room I believe."

Following the wood floor, the duo trooped into the next room that appeared, as Dumbledore said, to be a study and a massive library; in the center of the room stood a mammoth oak desk that had been stained a dark color. There was what at least looked like a normal wheeled office chair, though Harry knew that looks are can be deceiving as he remember the Veela from the Quidditch World Cup, that had what looked to be a very cushioned leather seat. In one of the corners of the room sat a large plush chair. On the side of it was a lever that indicated it was a recliner; a copy sat across the room from it. Facing the bookcase that was behind the desk was a leather sofa that, from its appearance, looked as comfortable as the chairs. Spread across the floor was a thick, beautiful oriental carpet.

Harry whistled. "Wow, that is a lot of books," he said dumbly.

"The dimensions for this room are sixteen feet by sixteen feet with the ceiling stretching up ten feet," Dumbledore said. "As you can see, the bookcases that line the four walls go all the way up to the ceiling. These are all copies of books from my personal library and a few from the Hogwarts's library including a good sum from the restricted section, about ten thousand total. In one of the drawers of the desk, you will find a sheet of paper that has 'The Potter Library' written at the top. You use it to find your way through the mass of books. I'll show you how it works."

Dumbledore walked up to the desk with Harry just behind him. Upon reaching the desk, Dumbledore opened a drawer and withdrew a piece of paper. At the top, "The Potter Library" in a fancy script that bordered on calligraphy. Below this heading were the words "Subject Author" in an ordinary font.

"The way this works is similar to the indexing that is found at a common Muggle public library. It can search by subject or author. Let's say that you wanted to search for 

books on spell creation. You would take your wand and tap "Subject" while thinking spell creation. Watch me," Dumbledore said as he took out his own wand.

Harry watched as Dumbledore tapped the word "Subject." As soon as the wand tip left the paper, titles began to appear. Beneath the title were the author and two ratings: one for the difficulty it might give the reader and Dumbledore's own rating of the book.

"The paper will lengthen as needed to accommodate the number of hits. When you find a book that you want to read, tap the entry with your wand. Go ahead and tap The Art of Spell Creation, which is the book I recommend for someone starting to learn to create spells. It is easy to understand and follow. Muggles have a series that it might fit. The title would be 'Spell Creation for Dummies'," Dumbledore said with a smile.

Harry rapped the entry with his wand and it started to glow a bright blue. "Now look around, you see the desired book glowing blue." Harry looked around and sure enough, on the far wall a book that glowed the same bright blue. "When you are finished with a book, just tap it four times with your wand and it will be returned to its spot."

"Professor, why doesn't the school have a system like this? I can cite specific occasions where this way of finding books would have helped in more ways than I could count. Also I bet Madam Pince would love this system; it would allow her a lot of control over her books. If you give her this system you won't ever have to get her anything for Christmas ever again."

"Hogwarts does not have this system because I just invented the spell. I am going to have it put into operation over the summer so the students will have it next year. 'Necessity is the mother of all inventions'. I have no clue who coined that phrase but it is the truth. Well, necessity, boredom, and accidents are the origins of about ninety-nine percent of all inventions," Dumbledore said with a shrug.

Harry's eyebrows contracted a bit. "That seems like it is a complex spell and it only took you a few hours to create? Is inventing spells really that simple?"

"Once you know the basics, developing spells can be quite simple. The basics are not easy to understand but with practice, it can become routine. The method I used to learn is a type of reverse engineering. I studied existing spells and worked out how they were made. In another drawer of the desk is a collection of spell models for common spells. I also included the models for the most commonly used dark curses, like the Purple Cutting Flame curse that Dolohov used against Miss Granger, and for the Unforgivable Curses.

"On a side note, the incantations you use for your spells do not have to be Latin. The benefit for using Latin words for incantations is that most wizards are not proficient enough in Latin to translate 'on the fly' therefore giving you some tactical surprise when you use a spell you made up or one that they are not familiar with. It also might make you look more impressive."

Harry pursed his lips as various and barely connected thoughts began running through his mind. "Interesting, yes, those will be interesting to study. I guess I don't have to worry about having to spend a fortune on books," Harry said. As he glanced around at all the books, thinking how jealous Hermione will be when he told her, a look of deep thought crossed his eyes. "Are there any books on human anatomy and physiology, university level?" Harry asked with a sideways glance at Dumbledore.

Harry saw Dumbledore's jaw line tighten slightly. "No but I believe that can be remedied. I do not think I want to know why you want a book on human anatomy and physiology, do I," Dumbledore asked.

A malevolent smirk crossed Harry's face. "No, I do not think you will want to know except it is for my Battle Spells." Harry said.

"Why do you want a university level book?"

"Details, Professor, a university level book will be full of exact details. I'll need exact details." Harry paused for a second, "Better make it one that is required for an honors class. Those, I think, will be filled to the brim with the details I need."

"Very well, I will have an Order member pick one up for you," Dumbledore said with a small lead weight in his stomach at the thought of what Harry planned to use the book for. "The library has books about any topic relating to magic, including history. I believe I also included some books about Muggle history. History can be a very interesting subject to study, even if it is just for fun. I daresay that Professor Binns is not the best, ah, 'person' for the job at Hogwarts. Unfortunately, I have never been able to figure out how to replace him. He does the job acceptably; he teaches the material well enough but he is not engaging."

"With all due respect to Professor Binns, that is an understatement, sir. Hermione would go nuts with all these books. There may be books that she actually had not read yet in here."

"Actually," Dumbledore said after a minute, "I do believe Miss Granger has not even heard of most of these books let alone have read them even with all of her extra reading. Many of the books are in a gray area when it comes to the law. They are tightly controlled. I trust you to use them wisely. Although she has better judgment regarding many issues, there are books here that Miss Granger should not know about. So, in the event that she happens to end up in your room, on the back of the parchment that you use to search through the books, there is the phrase "Block Access." Before she comes into this room, you are to tap that phrase with your wand. As the phrase implies, it will prevent Miss Granger from seeing the books that I think she should not be privy to."

"I see. I will do that if she should ever come to my room. What's the next room?"

"I believe it is the gym."

_Gym? _Harry thought.

The duo walked through the door created by the bookcases in into what was the last and easily the largest room in Harry's new apartment. Through the spatial reasoning that he had developed on the Quidditch field, Harry summarized that this room was about one and a half times the size of the library. The floor seemed to be padded and felt soft, yielding slightly as Harry began to walk around. The walls were a muted gray with blue padding going up the wall to a height of about four feet.

"Ah sir, why is there all this padding?" Harry asked as his eyes wandered around the large room.

"Well, this is the gym. In here, you will learn to fight with Kingsley, work out, and test out new spells. Padding is especially important in testing new spells, particularly when you just start inventing or modifying spells. I have a large, very ugly scar on the back of my head from the first spell I invented; fortunately my hair covers it." Dumbledore paused with a thoughtful expression. "Come to think of it, I never did get that one to work. That is good lesson to learn, Harry. No matter how hard you work on a spell, sometimes it just will not work. If you are ever stuck on one, which can happen even with the _Utlis Discěre Ritus_ active, put down your quill and do something that does not require a heavy load on your brain, preferably something completely different. After you have been away for at least fifteen minutes, come back to the spell. Sometimes you will find that you just need to take a break.

"Alright Harry, now that the tour is over we should discuss the effects the _Utlis Discěre Ritus. _The study should suffice quite nicely with those chairs," Dumbledore said as he turned from the gym.

The pair walked into the library and settled themselves in the recliners. He was so surprise at the comfort that the chair gave him that he let a low moan of contentment. Harry closed his eyes and reveled in the rapture that the chair granted him for a moment.

"Wow, this is heaven Professor," Harry said before opening his eyes.

"I do agree most heartily Harry. I had Dobby copy the design from a Muggle company, La-Z-Boy I think the name is; it is an American company. Most people regard them as some of the best on market. After trying out this chair, I think I might look into getting some pieces in another design for my office.

"There are a few things we need to go over about the _Utlis Discěre Ritus. _Once you know the bounderies of the ritual you can maximize the benefits while staying safe.

"First, you cannot have it active all the time. When it is active, it puts a great deal of stress on your mind and if your mind does not get a break, your mind will lock up and 

you will be in a permanent coma. You can have it active for ten hours straight before your mind locks up. During the ritual, I had you build in a condition that will have it deactivate if you tried to go over the ten-hour rule because I know you would push the limit as hard as you can.

"Between periods of activation when you did not go the full ten hours you will have to rest for a full hour if you used it for five hours or less, two hours if you used it for six to nine hours, and three hours if you work the whole ten hours. Do you understand Harry?"

"Yes sir, use it for no more than ten hours in a stretch of time, rest for three hours after a ten hour period, rest for an hour if I used it for five hours or less, and rest for two hours if I used it for six to nine hours right?"

Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, that is correct. Now you need to know how to activate and deactivate it. To activate, grab your right ear lobe with your left hand, palm facing your cheek and say 'Learn'. To deactivate, grab your left ear lobe with your right hand, again with your palm to your cheek, and say 'Stop'. Although it might seem silly, I set this as the switch so you will not unintentionally turn it on. Am I being clear?"

"Ah, could you show me what you mean when you say 'palm to cheek'?"

"Oh, I mean it so it looks like this." Dumbledore reached up with his right hand and grasped his left ear lobe. "See Harry, I mean like this. Your knuckles are out. If another person did this, you would be slapped instead of getting backhanded."

"Alright Professor, I understand. So, what will this ritual enable me to do?"

"It increases your brain's abilities across the board. Your comprehension skills increased so you can understand new material quicker and easier. Your reading speed increases to the point that it is only limited by how quickly you can turn the page. It also improves your ability to recall information by setting up your mind to be something akin to a filing cabinet."

"So, I will basically become Hermione in a Harry shell, eh? I guess the ritual was worth the pain. I always wondered what it would be like to be as smart as Hermione," Harry mused with a bit of mirth.

Dumbledore smiled a bit. "Yes, I suppose you would become like Miss Granger though you are smart in your own way. The file cabinet that has been created will aid in you study of Occlumency. Do you have any questions about the _Utlis Discěre Ritus_?"

"No sir, I understand it, the effects, the side effects, and how and when to activate it and deactivate it."

Dumbledore nodded. "Good, now that we have discussed the effects of _Utlis Discěre Ritus_, I believe we can move on to another topic. How did Professor Snape go about trying to teach you Occlumency?"

"Snape-"

"Professor-," Dumbledore began to correct Harry but Harry interrupted him.

"No, Professor, not _Professor_ Snape." Harry was seething. "We are not at Hogwarts during a term. I reserve the right to call him by his surname, or anything else for that matter, only without any titles or respect. I address you and any other professor from Hogwarts as 'Professor' when we are not in term because, in my eyes, you have earned the right to possess the title 'Professor'. He, on the other hand has not earned it. He might be extremely well versed in potions but there is a difference between being knowledgeable about a topic and being able to teach it. In the D.A., I taught many spells that I learned not long before I taught them. It is almost impossible for a person to get a good grade in his class if you are not someone really smart, like Hermione, or a Slytherin. It is absolutely impossible for me to get a good grade on any work assigned by _him_ because of my father. Thankfully, the O.W.L.s. are administered by unbiased third-parties. The bottom line is he is a pathetic piece of trash that better be honest about truly rejecting the Death Eaters if he wants to live through this fight."

"Anyways Professor, I believe you asked me how Snape tried to teach me Occlumency. Well, before he tried the first time to 'break into my mind', he said that needed similar powers that I used to resist the Imperius Curse. First he said 'brace yourself now' right before saying '_Legilimens'_!After the first time, all he did was to tell me to 'Clear your mind, Potter,' and 'Let go of all emotion'. He is telling me to clear my mind and forget all emotion while he is constantly insulting me. He always tried to fish around for memories where I was humiliated. It was kind of like being close to a Dementor. I wouldn't put it pass him to try to steal my soul, I doubt it would be via a kiss."

Dumbledore sighed heavily after getting over the initial shock of Harry's mood swing. "I am sorry Harry; it was a horrible idea for me to have you try to learn Occlumency from Professor Snape. He went about teaching you Occlumency in a completely wrong fashion. As I said in my office after the fight at the Ministry, I was foolish to think that Professor Snape would be an able teacher since he cannot seem to work through the history between your father and him."

Harry watched as the old Professor pinched the bridge of long nose for a second. He dared not open his mouth for fear of lashing out at Dumbledore with the rage that was boiling just below his passive face. Harry waited for the Professor to continue.

Dumbledore stopped pinching the bridge of his nose and looked at Harry. "Well Harry, I think we should just count your sessions with Professor Snape as false starts-- very bad false starts," Dumbledore added quickly as he felt the anger surge in the youth. 

"So I will start at the beginning." Harry nodded stiffly, trying to calm himself from his rant.

"Occlumency is a branch of magic that is concerned with protecting a person's mind from mental penetration from an external threat. I wanted you to learn it because, although it proved useful when you witnessed the attack on Mr. Weasley, Voldemort would exploit it and trick you into exposing yourself to him in some way, which he did when you saw the vision of Sirius being tortured.

"The way Occlumency is utilized differs from wizard to wizard. Just as no two Patronuses are the same, the method that is used to protect the mind differs from wizard to wizard." Dumbledore broke off; a thoughtful expression took up residence on his face, eyes twinkling. "Curious… It could work…I wonder…"

Harry had a flashback of being in Ollivander's when he had finally chosen a wand. He remembered that he received shocking news not to long afterwards. Harry wondered what could be going through Dumbledore's head and if he would relay something shocking like when Ollivander finally said what was curious was that Harry's wand had a brother wand that had chosen Voldemort as its master.

After waiting another minute, Harry became impatient. "Excuse sir, what is curious?"

"Occlumency can take years to master. Even with the augmentation your brain has had from _Utlis Discěre Ritus_, it could still take you many months to find the method that would insure protection from anybody trying to gain access to your mind. However, we do not want to risk another trap via the link between your minds so we have to settle for a short-term solution."

"And I am guessing that you have a shrewd idea on what that solution might be, sir," Harry replied.

"Yes, I think I have a way that would work. The attack on your mind that Voldemort seems to use appears to be akin to possession, where instead of just reading your mind, Voldemort briefly controls it." Dumbledore paused, waiting to see if Harry could catch on to his logic.

"He tried to posses me at the Ministry but I repelled him by my heart, my love that I felt when I thought I would see Sirius again. So the key is love."

"Yes, I believe that if you fill your mind with love, then Voldemort will not be able to enter your mind, or send images, without feeling a tremendous amount of pain. I think it might also prevent any pain from your scar. As I said, this a short-term solution and as such you should still work on developing your Occlumency though it is the 'jumping off point' for completely mastering Occlumency. Do you have any questions regarding Occlumency?"

Harry thought for a second. "No sir, I am clear on everything."

"Good, do you have any questions on anything else we have discussed today or at any other time? Random thoughts?"

"Yes, I think I do have a couple of questions Professor."

"Only a couple? Very well then Harry, fire away," Dumbledore said as he settled back into the chair, readying himself for what could be either very difficult conversation, one that could be enjoyable, or both.

"First off, what is the difference between a Dark curse and a regular spell?"

"Well, the spells most believe to be 'Dark' are ones that are only meant to harm people. Of course, going by this definition any spell could be considered dark. One of the first spells you learn is the Levitation spell. You could use it to levitate someone off a roof or high enough so that person will die when they land."

"Or use it to drop something on someone else like when Ron dropped that club on the troll's head," Harry added.

Dumbledore nodded with a smile. "Exactly. In contrast, spells that most people consider dark can be used for noble and pure purposes. The curse that people consider, mistakenly, the worse, the Killing curse, can be used to end a person's suffering or it could be used to defend a loved one. That purple flame curse used by Dolohov could be used to cut through debris to free a trapped person. I think only one curse is almost beyond any redemption and that is the Cruciatus.

"In conclusion, to use the word 'Dark to describe any curse except the Cruciatus curse is to use a misnomer." Dumbledore finished with a smile. He was thrilled at the chance to teach.

Harry pondered this for a moment. "Okay, when I beat Voldemort, do you think that my scar might disappear?"

Dumbledore thought for a moment. "Well, I do not think that it will disappear all at once but that it might turn into a normal scar and begin to fade with time, but never completely disappear. I suppose that losing that trademark feature is something you will not regret.'

Harry shook his head, "No sir, it's what confirms my identity as 'The-Boy-Who-Lived' for people. Alright, my next question is can I get access to the intelligence that the Order collects?"

"Can you give me an example of what you might want Harry? We get a lot of information and I do not think that you need it all. Mind you, I do not mean that we will return to last summer's 'you not knowing more than you need to know' that backfired. Any information that you need, that the Order has, will be available to you."

"Well, I think I need any information on the known Death Eaters and their activities and possible locations, who you suspect are Death Eaters, possible locations for safe houses, possible gathering places for meetings, possible gathering areas where they meet up before going on a mission, and…," Harry pause as he thought of any other potential information he could need. "And I think that's all."

"Very well, any other questions?"

"Do you think you could set it up so at the end of the summer, say around the end of August a chance for me to duel a couple of Order members so I can test how much I have progressed?"

"Did you have anyone particular in mind?"

"Well, I think I would like to try to take on Moody, Kingsley, Tonks, and Snape. Moody has a lot of experience fighting real battles, Kingsley and Tonks are both Aurors and therefore have to be skilled, and both have some experience in real-life combat.

"The reason I want to fight Snape in addition to the others is he used to be a Death Eater and therefore fights like them; it will be an invaluable lesson for future battles against other Death Eaters. While Moody, Kingsley, and Tonks will most likely try to work in a coordinated effort as Aurors are trained to do, right?" After receiving a nod from Dumbledore Harry continued. "Throwing Snape into the mix would make it really like fighting Death Eaters. Death Eaters, from what I have observed, do not really fight as a team. Some might fight somewhat as a unit if they have fought together before but, for the majority, they don't. Snape will not be able to work well with the Aurors, making it all the more realistic.

"I want to fight them all at once also. At the end after I have beaten them, I would like to fight you, sir; it would be like Voldemort showing up after I kill some of his minions. I think that we might want to invite Minister Bones to witness the duel so she can see that it was not in vain that she granted me immunity from the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery." Dumbledore nodded, slightly puzzled. He began to wonder again what Harry and Amelia really covered in their conversation.

The raven-haired teen continued, "Oh, if you find yourself having trouble getting Snape to agree to fight, here are a couple of methods you could use to persuade him. One is you can tell him that he finally has a chance to prove that I am just a famous name, nothing else. I know he has been dying to prove that idea of his. If that doesn't work then tell him that the little secret I found out during our Occlumency lessons might 'accidentally' slip from my mouth and become public knowledge," Harry finished with a 

smirk. The sympathy that he had held for Snape after witnessing Snape's very public humiliation at the hands of his father and Sirius was buried already; it was one of the many purges of kind feelings that Harry would conduct before he won the war.

Dumbledore fought the urge to raise an eyebrow in surprise; he had never expected Harry to use blackmail. "Very well, I will see what I can do. Are you sure that you want to take on four highly skilled adults all at once?"

"I'll be ready sir. It will be similar to a real life battle. Actually, I think it might be harder than most of the fights I'll face as I'll be facing three Aurors and they have more skills than the average Death Eater."

Dumbledore replied, "Some Death Eaters are more skilled than other wizards are but most are average when it comes to skill. The ten that we fought at the Ministry, except Mr. Crabbe, are all extremely powerful and the most dangerous of the Death Eaters; it was a great blow to Voldemort's forces that we captured the nine we did (though I doubt it will be long before Voldemort frees them). However, Death Eaters fight in ways that a decent wizard would never consider."

"Well, I will just have to tell them to fight as if their lives were on the line in my duel with them and they can use any and all means to try and beat me. If they don't, they will lose spectacularly and will be injured. However, I doubt that if I get even half of the way to my desired level of skill that they would stand a chance. I only wish I could have a crack at that bastard Dawlish and bitch from hell Umbrage for what they did during last term." Harry quickly swallowed, "Please excuse my language sir. I get carried away sometimes."

"What did you say Harry? I really ought to have my hearing tested. That is the second time today where I went temporarily deaf. I missed what you said after 'they would stand a chance.'

"Now Harry, being confident in your abilities can help you many obstacles but overconfidence can cause you a lot of harm."

Harry nodded. "True, but I aim to achieve the goal of being at a point where the thought of soundly beating four adults, three of which are Aurors, so that it is not just overconfidence. I once heard someone say 'It isn't arrogance if you really are better'."

"Harry, I believe that you do have the potential to, at some point in your life, be able to stand against four highly skilled wizards; however, I do not want you to push too hard and end up injuring yourself. You need to know when to stop so you stay safe," Dumbledore advised.

"Yes sir, I will keep that in mind," Harry replied in a sincere tone. "Sir, how did you beat Grindelwald?"

Dumbledore pondered this question for a moment before he replied. "Well, Grindelwald was very charismatic which allowed him to get a large following. He was actually only slightly above average when it came to actual magical skill. Yes, it was his charisma that made him so dangerous. He was able to gather wizards much stronger than himself to his banner and thus gave him ample protection. He was a master at the art of manipulating people. He could turn the closest of brothers against each other. Once I was able to break through his guard, I easily defeated him in a duel." Professor Binns hadn't covered any of this in History of Magic yet and Harry listened with rapt attention.

"Of course," Dumbledore continued, "Voldemort shares Grindelwald's charismatic personality. However, what makes Voldemort much more dangerous than Grindelwald is that his skills in magic exceeds his charisma. The one thing that kept Voldemort from achieving the same power that Grindelwald had is that he lacks a social issue that involves a good percentage of the population that he can exploit. When Grindelwald began to gain power, his country, Germany, was in an economic crisis. Its economy had been ravaged by World War I and the restitutions that it was forced to pay according to the terms of the Treaty of Versailles; this made its proud population very bitter as they had no real evidence that they had truly lost the war. Grindelwald seized the opportunity and united Germany under his rule by focusing the anger against other people though he did revive Germany's shattered economy.

"Since the end of the war, the world is relatively stable and prosperous at present so the only thing Voldemort could use is the pure-blood issue. However, this attracts very little support from the vast majority. The positive spin is that this allowed him to have very few 'true' followers. The negative spin is this means that the true Death Eaters have been fiercely loyal to him and therefore extremely dangerous." Dumbledore knew he had covered a lot of information but he felt that Harry had understood all of it. "Okay Harry, any more questions?"

"Yes, just one more set of question that has been running through my mind for a while now. Why did you give me my father's Invisibility Cloak during my first year at Hogwarts? How much about the situation concerning the Philosopher's Stone, Quirrell, and my adventures that year did you know about? You don't have to answer if you do not want to sir."

"I do not mind answering that question. I knew someone was after the Stone, someone who worked at Hogwarts. However, I did not know who it was or why the person was after it. Therefore, I thought the best plan was to bring the Stone to Hogwarts and see how the situation played out. I knew of course that no one could get the Stone who wanted to use it due to that fancy trick I pulled with the Mirror of Erised. I doubt that I will ever be able to conjure another trick as brilliant as that," Dumbledore said with a theatrical sigh causing Harry to smile.

"The reason I sent you your father's Invisibility Cloak was I was somewhat aware of your activities regarding the Stone; I just wanted to see how far you would be able to go before you could go no further and I thought the cloak would be an important tool. 

Since the cloak rightfully belongs to you, I felt that it was only proper to give it to you so you would have all available tools that you could conceivably have. However, I did not think that you would actually reach the Stone. I certainly did not think that you would end up face-to-face, as it were, with Voldemort your first year back into the world of magic after ten years of forced absence and ignorance. As I said in the hospital wing, you acquitted yourself quite well and made me very proud."

Dumbledore paused for a moment before continuing. "Now Harry, you might be thinking that I have used you, your friends, and various others as pawns on a giant chessboard. I will admit to a certain degree I did. However, I never intended to put you into anything that I thought you could not handle; however, what I think you can handle continues to come up short of what you can actually do."

Harry blinked, unable to keep the stunned expression from his face. He was bewildered at the confession that Dumbledore had given him. There was plenty in Dumbledore's answer that Harry could be angry about but he found himself instead almost awed by the Professor's bravery.

Dumbledore smiled at Harry's stunned expression. "I have decided that from now on, I will always be candid with you regarding everything. I am not trying to make-up for mistakes made in the past nor will I try to justify them other than say that they seemed the proper course of action at the time; it is hard making difficult decisions that can affect so many people while you are in the middle of a situation. If I had made different choices, who knows what could have happened. I have learned through my years that life is too uncertain to regret anything; what seems like the right course of action in hindsight might have led to an even worse outcome."

Dumbledore paused. As a small smile crept across his face, he said, "Of course, something else I learned is knowing what you should learn from an experience, good or bad, and actually living that lesson are too very different things."

Harry sat back into the chair staring at the floor, still too stunned to form a coherent thought. He was still trying to absorb everything that Dumbledore had just told him. _So my whole first year at Hogwarts was planned out, _Harry thought before mentally shaking his head. _No, that isn't exactly true. _Harry glanced at Dumbledore. The Professor sat patiently. _Should I ask him about my other years at Hogwarts? Do I even want to know?_ _Another time… maybe,_ Harry thought.

Harry decided to table that conversation and focus on the present. "That is quite a confession, Professor," Harry said, careful to keep his tone respectful. "Well, those are all the questions I have for you."

Dumbledore nodded. "Very well, I will take my leave. I only have one more piece of advice before I go. Do not try to over exert yourself too often as you can really hurt yourself. That and start small; do not try to create complex spells until you have gotten your feet wet with simpler ones. They do not even have to be particularly useful."

Harry sat pondering the conversion he had just had when a question popped into his head. He looked up and saw the Professor getting ready to Apparate. "Professor! I have one more question. My parents did not flinch at when someone said Voldemort, did they? Professor Lupin does not and Sirius did not and they were really close friends with my parents. Going by the logic that friends, save for that coward Wormtail," Harry's voice dripped with a malevolent tone as he reference the man who betray his parents, "act alike, my parents would say Voldemort too, not this You-Know-Who nonsense."

Dumbledore smiled. "No, they were not afraid to say Voldemort's name. They were two of the bravest and kindest people I have ever had the honor and pleasure of knowing. You, Harry, are turning out to be a perfect blend between the two of them. You have your father's powerful loyalty, his flying abilities (though I think you might be a little better), and adventure seeking spirit. You also have your mother's compassion for others and her selfless attitude. They both were brilliant students; some of the brightest ever to grace the halls of Hogwarts, close to Miss Granger's level, and both were powerful in magical abilities. Although, I do not know if they could have produced a corporeal Patronus by the end of their third year much less a Patronus that drove away over a hundred Dementors."

Harry sighed. "Thank you for telling that sir. I have had trouble finding out information about them; all I ever hear are 'he looks just like James' or 'You have your mother's eyes'. It is a pity that, for the most part, I am going to fall away from their personalities due to my fight with Voldemort. Although," Harry paused for a breath, "I am going to embody my mother's selfless attitude. I am giving up my future and life for the magical community who, until recently, thought I was an attention-seeking wacko. Just about the only thing that will separate me from Death Eaters is that I am not doing this quest for any sort of power or evil reasons and I will not use the Imperious and Cruciatus curses."

Dumbledore managed to keep his face passive as he heard Harry omit one of the Unforgivable Curses. He thought a moment before deciding that he could not think of any response to Harry's small speech except, "It is strange that you have not heard more about your parent's personalities because they were very popular. Then again, because they were so well liked, their untimely deaths are still painful to everyone who were friends with them. They, like most humans, prefer to keep their minds free from any painful thoughts if they can help it. You should not hold it against the people who knew James and Lilly, they are just being human."

"I don't hold it against them. I'm not angry with them. Voldemort is the one responsible. He has destroyed so many families, so many lives."

"Yes, he has destroyed so many lives," Dumbledore agreed. "And the ripples that were born from such actions echo for a long time."

"And he thinks the worst thing that can happen to a person is to die? He is so mistaken."

"Tom likes to think himself above other people, that other wizards and witches are mere mortals. This is why he fears death so much: it proves that he is the same as everybody else. Death is the great equalizer; no one can escape it; it is the only absolute in this world."

"Well, Voldemort is sounding more and more like a typical wanna-be despot, hardly something to fear. Well Professor, I will bid you good day. I am eager to get to work."

Dumbledore turned to leave but stopped mid turn. "Oh, I almost forgot. Owls are neither the speediest way to communicate nor the most secure. Here," Dumbledore pulled a rectangular object out of a pocket. He tapped it with his wand before handing it to Harry.

Harry took it and turned it over, examining it. He could not suppress his gasp, though he managed to keep it below audible level: it turned out to be a mirror almost identical to the one Sirius had given him.

"These are what the Order uses to communicate. Every Order member has one. So, if you needed to get in touch with me, you would just say my name into the mirror and I would appear in your mirror and you in mine. They are two-way only, so no other Order member can listen in on our conversation. The only people who could listen in are people in the same room as us and then it is only what you or I are saying. It would be one sided like when you speak on a telephone."

"Gotcha," Harry said.

"Feel free to contact me at anytime. Keep it on your person at all times. If someone is trying to contact you, the mirror will vibrate and heat up."

"So that's how they work." Harry saw a raised eyebrow. "My dad and Sirius had a pair of these. Sirius said it helped get them through detentions when they weren't in the same one."

"Your dad and Sirius set a record for the number of detentions received at Hogwarts."

Harry gave a half of a smile before asking, "How did the Marauders compare to the Weasley twins?"

"Oh, take what the twins did and triple it, including the fireworks and swamp they pulled last term after my forced absence. I was surprised that Hogwarts was still standing when the Marauders finished their time at Hogwarts. But," Dumbledore said with a 

faraway look of happiness, "they were fun to know and watch. Your dad and Sirius were two of the brightest pupils ever to grace Hogwarts. The only problem was that they almost never kept their brilliance on the rule obeying side of the line."

"And Professor Lupin is the only true Marauder left," Harry said with a look of sadness before straightening his shoulders. "Well, I will talk with you later then Professor," Harry asked, holding out his hand, which Dumbledore took and shook firmly.

"I will get the wheels rolling on your second wand. Until next time, Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile before silently Disapparating.

Harry stood for a while, going over the drawn out conversation and what he had learned. He pondered for five minutes before snapping out of the stupor.

"I have work to do; I can worry about the past after I kill that fucker Voldemort. That is," Harry sighed, "if I survive."

Harry went back to the bookcase and pick up the book Dumbledore recommended, The Art of Spell Creation. As he settled back in to the chair that was behind the desk, Harry paused as he slowly grasped his right ear lobe with his left hand.

Summoning his Gryffindor courage, Harry said firmly, "Learn."

Harry blinked from the effects. His consciousness seemed to expand, allowing him to see the many different sides to any situation. His brain went into overdrive; Harry began to process information at was quadrupled the speed that his brain normally ran at yet all his thoughts were clearer than thoughts occurring at his normal speed.

"Oh man, this is amazing. This… power, it's intoxicating!" Harry said before letting out a manic laugh. "No wonder Hermione likes hitting the books so hard! I love magic!"

Harry reveled in the feeling before cracking opening The Art of Spell Creation. As he read through the pages as fast as his fingers could turn the pages, Harry realized that normally, he would not understand the concepts without the ritual and yet it all made perfect sense. As he was thinking this, Harry recognized that he was thinking something completely different from what he was reading and yet he could still soak up what he was reading with no loss of comprehension.

_I can have two completely separate threads of thought going through my brain at once and be able to process them without any loss. _Harry thought excitedly. _I never could do this before; I don't even think Hermione can do this!_

Harry finished the book and quickly tapped it four times with his wand to send it back to the bookcase. Taking out the search parchment, as Harry thought of it now, he did a search for the other spell creation books. Selected them all, Harry summoned them, 

using his quick reflexes gain from Quidditch to catch them before the heavy tomes crashed into him.


	6. Conversations and Tactics

Chapter 6

Conversations and Tactics

As Harry was learning the joys of _Utlis Discěre Ritus_, Dumbledore was trudging up towards Hogwarts, his shoulders slumping. As he neared the main doors, he paused to gather himself to face the Hogwarts staff; he could not let them see him, Albus Dumbledore the leader of the resistance against Voldemort, weary of anything. Pushing his suffering deep down, Dumbledore straightened his shoulders and strolled into the castle with his usual air of confidence. He found Poppy waiting for him.

"Good evening Poppy. I hope Harry was not too much trouble. It is your vacation time after all."

"Don't worry about it Albus, I will always take care of Harry. I remember treating his father many times when he was a student. Harry, it seems, has inherited James' reckless nature."

"That he has," Dumbledore said with a small smile.

"I'm worried about Harry, Albus."

"Walk with me Poppy. What about Harry has you worried?" Dumbledore asked, already knowing the answer.

"Ever since that fight at the Ministry, Harry personality has changed drastically. Where once there was a young man who rarely showed any pain or suffering from anything he got himself into, now there is a young man who, although he hides it well, is being tormented from something. I have seen cases like this before; if something is not done, then I am afraid Harry will hurt himself," Poppy said, finishing with a bit of emotion. "Can you tell me what has happened to cause this? I want to help Harry. He has too promising a future and is too nice of a person to have something that can be more destructive than anything else bothering him, threatening him."

"Poppy, your instincts serve you well. Yes, Harry is dealing with a lot right now. At the Ministry, he lost his godfather with whom he had grown very close but had known for way too short of time. After we got back to Hogwarts, I had to tell him a very hard truth. To deal with that truth, Harry has chosen a path that is not at all good for him."

"Then we must try and stop him," Poppy said urgently, panic beginning to show on her face.

Dumbledore held up his hand. "Alas, that is not possible, no matter how hard we might try. As you said, Harry inherited James' reckless nature. He also inherited his father's stubborn streak as well; you could never talk James out of doing something. I went to see 

him this morning to talk about his plan and he asked me for my help. I saw I could not dissuade him from this course of action so I decided to aid him as much as I could.

"However, if it might assuage your fears, there is a positive side to Harry's plan. He has decided not to be the victim anymore. He has taken up the broomstick in his life and decided to fly. He is becoming a stronger person." Dumbledore said, not really believing it himself.

Poppy still wore a worried expression. "Well, it does not really help; I am still worried about him."

"So am I Poppy, so am I," Dumbledore agreed, nodding his head slightly. "At least with Fudge out of office, the Ministry will not be hounding Harry anymore. In fact, he and I visited Minister Bones today and found her to be solidly in our corner, willing to help Harry. She granted him a license to practice magic without fear of Mafalda Hopkirk. He also got his Appartation license today."

"I'm still worried Albus."

Dumbledore reached over and patted Poppy on the shoulder before looking her straight in the eyes. "A lot of people are worried about Harry. The only things we can do are to help as much as we can and have faith in him. And, if we see him, we should show him that he has our support."

Poppy almost smiled back as Dumbledore said this but something caught her eye. The ever-present twinkle that Dumbledore has in his eyes was gone. This sent chills down her spine.

_What kind of path could Harry have chosen that would drive the twinkle from Albus' eyes?_ Poppy thought as her fear for Harry increased.

Amelia Bones arrived home late that night, exhausted, and wondering if she had done the right thing.

_Should have I given that poor boy that mission? Instead of putting on that mission, should I have just pardoned him for whatever he may do? _These thoughts had been running through her mind ever since her meeting with the boy. _No, _she told herself sharply, _do not start doubting yourself. What's done is done. _With that, she walked into her Victorian-style house. She found her niece Susan at the kitchen table, reading a book. A contented smile crept across her face. _It is always so nice to come home to Susan, _Amelia thought.

"Hey Susan, how was your day?"

"Hi Auntie," Susan replied brightly as she brushed a few strands of her silky dark brown hair out of her face. She had recently cut it short and was still getting use to not wearing it in the long plait. "It was kind of boring."

"You could have done your summer homework," Amelia answered back with a knowing smile.

"Anyways," Susan said, changing the subject quickly, "how was your day?"

"Well, it was long, busy, and frustrating but it had a rather nice surprise." Amelia paused, becoming interested in her fingernails. After a minute, she glanced out of the side of eye at niece; Susan was close to bouncing in her chair.

"What was the surprise Auntie?" Susan was practically begging.

"I had an appointment with a classmate of yours," Amelia said, trying to stretch out the teasing session as long as she could.

Susan had an expression of perplexity and curiosity; Amelia almost laughed it was so comical. "Why would you meet with a classmate of mine? Oh come on Auntie, who was it?"

"Harry Potter."

"You saw Harry? How was he? He didn't get in trouble again for underage magic use, did he?"

"No, he did not get in trouble for underage magic and, technically, he shouldn't have gotten in trouble for what he did last summer, let alone get hauled in front of the entire Wizengamot."

"He was tried in front of the _entire_ court?" Susan asked with horror. She hadn't heard that part before.

Amelia sighed deeply and nodded. "Yes, it surprised me too. Fudge was trying his best to discredit him. Harry's wand might have been snapped that day had Dumbledore not shown up, which he almost didn't because Fudge changed the time at the last second. I cannot imagine what it must have felt like for a fourteen year old to stare up at fifty faces, most of which were unfriendly. Moreover, the chair that the defendant is forced to sit has arms that are covered with chains which usually snap around the defendant. Besides, that courtroom is just plain creepy with lots of bad memories. The odd thing is there seemed to be something akin to recognition in the way Harry looked around, as if he had already been there before somehow."

"Not to go off too far on a tangent, but what of Fudge's Educational Decrees?"

Amelia nodded again. "I have already repealed them. All of Dolores Umbridge's changes at Hogwarts have been reversed; Hogwarts is free of the stain that is Umbridge."

Susan's expression hardened. "That is not exactly true. Well, at least it will not be for Harry."

"What do you mean Susan?" Amelia asked, her eyes narrowing.

"During the D.A. lessons, Harry walked around, giving tips, showing proper wand movements, you, teaching. Well, one time when he corrected my wand movement, his sleeve rolled up. One the back of his hand was a scar that looked fresh, really fresh. It was not a normal scar; there were words that look as if they had been etched into the back of his hand! The words were '_I must not tell lies'_. Earlier in the year, Harry had had two weeks of detention with Umbridge. One late night I had to find Professor Flitwick because one of the girls in my dorm was sick, I saw Harry coming out of her office; he had a cloth wrapped around his hand and it was soaked in blood."

An expression of horror had developed itself on Amelia's face throughout this story. When she heard of the of the blood soaked cloth, her hand went to her mouth. "Are you saying," Amelia started her tone full of horror and anger, "that Delores Umbridge mutilated Harry's hand?"

"No, not directly I think. I had over heard that Harry had been given lines as punishment and he was in her office for hours at a time."

"A blood quill," Amelia hissed.

"What's a 'blood quill'?"

"It is a long, thin black quill with an extra sharp point. It is used only for the most important documents, like wills, because instead of ink, it uses the writer's blood. As the person is signing, what they write appears on the back of their hand. It is strictly controlled and underage wizards are never allowed to use them." Amelia shuddered.

"Auntie, have you ever used a blood quill?" Susan asked tentatively.

"I have had to use one twice. Once when I drew up my will and once when I was sworn in as the Minister of Magic. To be blunt, it hurt like hell. And you say Harry did these detentions with Umbridge for two weeks straight?"

Susan nodded and said, "Well, there was a weekend between them but, yeah."

"If only we knew where she was, I would have her head on a platter! She never returned to the Ministry after she left Hogwarts," Amelia added at Susan's confused look. "We have no idea where she is."

"She needs to be punished severely for everything she did. Anyways, why did you see Harry today?" Susan asked, slightly tilting her head.

Amelia mouth arced into a small smile at her niece's curiosity regarding Harry. "Well, for some reason, it seems that Voldemort has taken an unhealthy interest in Harry. Professor Dumbledore and Harry came and asked that he be freed from the underage restrictions on magic so he could train. He gave some good reasons and I like Harry so I granted him it and he left to get his Apparition license."

"Um, did he say anything about me?" Susan asked, blushing madly.

Amelia tilted her head and stared at her niece, her smile growing to cover her face from ear to ear. "Ah, let's see. He asked how you were doing…" Amelia trailed off, waiting for the chance to tease her niece.

"And? What did you say?" Susan asked the impatience clear in her voice.

"Oh, that you were okay except for that you were suffering from really bad cramps from…" Amelia could not finish as she was in danger of ruining her little game of teasing as she watched Susan start to react.

As her face drained of all color, Susan shot up sending her chair sliding across the room, her dark blue eyes wide as saucers. "WHAT? How could you tell such a disgusting lie? I don't get cramps! It isn't even that time of the month for me!" Susan yelled as she pounded the table. She stood fuming, the anger radiating in waves from her. Her fists start to shake as Amelia sat smiling, if possible, even more broadly than before.

Amelia watched her niece fly into a rage, giggling inside. Letting Susan stew, Amelia sat smiling. After watching the show for about five minutes during which Susan continued to sputter incoherent phrases, Amelia broke into fits of laughter that doubled her over.

Susan had opened her mouth to yell some more at her Aunt when she saw Amelia double over in laughter. Mouth slightly agape, Susan stared dumbfounded at her cackling aunt for a full minute. _The lengths she will go through to tease me,_ Susan thought with, only a little of her anger remaining.

"Ha-ha, very funny Aunt Amelia," Susan said with a slight smile as she sat back down. She had decided not take too much exception to her aunt's tease if it made her laugh like that. "Now that you have had your healthy laugh for the day, what did you really talk about with Harry?"

"Well, some of what we talked about has to stay between him and me. Not even Professor Dumbledore knows all of what we talked about; he was only there for part of the meeting. I learned why the battle happened at the Ministry not too long ago and why Voldemort himself showed up. It was a very enlightening conversation; a lot clicked in to place because of it." Susan cocked her head at this statement.

"What I can talk about is what we talked about concerning you." Amelia smiled as her niece perked up. "He asked how you were doing and I said that you were doing well. He said that he knew that I would be a good person for the Minister of Magic position because of you. He said he got to know you a little bit during the D.A. meetings and from that he deduced that I was a good person to be Minister since I raised you."

Susan blushed slightly. "Ah, did he say anything else?"

"Yes, Harry was quite complimentary of your work in the D.A. He said you were in the top ten of the twenty-seven members. He also said that you almost had a corporeal Patronus before the meetings were stopped by Umbridge. He wants you to practice over the summer so you can show it to him at the start of the next term."

Susan's blush spread so that it completely covered her cheeks in cherry red at the wave of compliments. "Harry was such a good teacher that it was easy to learn the spells. I know I got at least an 'E' on my O.W.L. for Defense but I probably got an 'O'. He should consider being a professor at Hogwarts."

"I said as much but he said…" Amelia decided not to finish the statement as it might reveal too much information. "Forget I said that Susan."

"What did he say?" Susan asked, a worried expression creasing her face.

"I said forget it Susan," Amelia said in a stern tone.

"Yes Auntie," Susan said with a defeated tone. She knew better then to try to press her Aunt when her tone changed that quickly.

"So Susan, what did you do today?"

Below is the new stuff.

Susan shrugged. "Oh, I mainly just puttered around the house. I read a little more about being a healer which is the direction I am leaning towards for a career. Did you know that a healer from St. Mungo's became a headmistress at Hogwarts?"

Amelia nodded. "Yes, that was Dilys Derwent. She was very well liked during her term as headmistress. So, your goal is to become a healer so you can become headmistress at Hogwarts?" Amelia said with a teasing smile.

Susan rolled her eyes. "Of course I don't want to be headmistress, too much responsibility. There's great responsibility being a healer but it only concerns a few people at one time. Besides, headmaster has so many other administrative duties. Same reason I don't want to be Minister of Magic. However, I suspect that there is less stress being the headmistress than being Minster so of the two I would rather be headmistress of 

Hogwarts. Also I bet that there is more prestige being a headmistress of Hogwarts." Susan finished with a sly smile, trying to do her own bit of teasing.

"Ha-ha, very funny Susan," Amelia replied with a crooked smile, trying to head off the teasing that her niece was trying to accomplish. "The position of master of Hogwarts has, for the majority of the school's history, been held by some of the most honest of wizards and witches ever to live. The position of Minister of Magic has suffered because people like Fudge are able to maneuver themselves into the position." Amelia cringed as she realized that she had stepped into a trap set by her niece.

Susan smiled as she said, "Yeah, I guess the requirements for being Minister aren't too stringent. After all, they let you become the Minister." Susan let out a hearty laugh at her verbal jab.

Amelia just shook her head and said, "Okay, okay we're even now. Let's get back to your career as a healer. Do you think you're going to specialize in a particular field?"

"I was originally leaning toward a general practice, not specializing in anyone field. Lately, however, I have been thinking of specializing in treating damage from Dark curses."

"Oh, what brought on the change?" Amelia asked.

"It was all the work I did in the D.A. While we didn't learn Dark curses, the defenses we learned against them revealed a little about them. I did a little research about different curses and it just took me away it was so interesting," Susan said with a far off look. "It gives me goose bumps just thinking about it."

Amelia smiled. She glad that Susan had found something that gave her such pleasure. "Specializing in Dark curses opens a lot of avenues for careers. Both the Department of Mysteries and the Aurors have departments that study the effects of different curses. Of course, those types of jobs would be more research than doing the duties of a healer.

"If you do want to treat people then you could work at St. Mungo's, Department of Mysteries, or the Aurors. The Department of Mysteries and the Aurors both have private hospitals for their employees. One of those two would be great if you want to have a lot of firsthand experience with Dark curses."

Susan thought for a second on what her Aunt had just told her. "Hmmm, I hadn't ever thought about doing research. Well, pure research does sound interesting but I think I would prefer treating patients."

"Well, when you do go back to school you might want to have a chat with Madam Pomfrey. She worked for the Auror medical unit for a couple of years before she became the nurse at Hogwarts. She started around the same time I did," Amelia said.

Susan nodded. "I will do that. You look really tired Auntie, is being Minister really as hard as it seems?"

Amelia shook her head. "It isn't much harder than being the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. My main problems right now are getting rid of unfair laws that Fudge got passed. That and clearing out his lackeys who are still faithful enough to him to make my, his replacement, as hard as possible."

Susan gave a sympathetic smile. "Do you want me to cook you something?" She asked.

Amelia shook her head again as she stood, "No thank you, I ate a little before I came home. I think I am going to go to sleep now. Good night Susan," she said as she leaned down to kiss her niece on the forehead.

"Good night Auntie, sweet dreams," Susan said.

"Well, that should do it," Harry said as he put down his quill and stretched.

Grabbing his wand, he said, "_Hora._" Silver smoke shot from his time and formed '12:26 AM'. Harry rubbed his eyes as the time spell told him he had been working for a little over seven hours without a break.

"I'll take a break for now," Harry said as he grabbed his left ear lobe with his right hand and said, "Stop." The intense feelings Harry felt before when he activated the Ritual were suddenly gone. Feeling slightly lightheaded, Harry shook his head as he headed toward his window where the sound of a beak tapping on his window had just started. Rubbing his neck to get the stiffness out, Harry walked to his new larger window to see Hedwig perched on the windowpane.

"Hey there Hedwig, you sure are making good time delivering my letters," Harry said after he opened the window to let in his faithful friend. "I did not expect you to be so quick. Are you trying to prove you are the best owl in the world? There isn't any need for you to do that, I already know."

Hedwig puffed out her chest and hooted proudly. Harry knelt and offered her his shoulder. With a contented hoot, Hedwig hopped onto his shoulder. Harry watched Hedwig out of the cornet of his eye as he turned back to his apartment. He saw her eyes go wide as she let out a chirp; had she been human, he was sure her would mouth would be gaping. For a second, Harry though she might fall off his shoulder because of the shock.

"Welcome to our new home Hedwig. I'll conjure a perch for you in the library," Harry said as he began walking back to the desk in the library. He waved his wand and a tall perch for Hedwig appeared next to his new desk. Hedwig gave a couple of waves of her wings and she floated up and settled on the perch. "So, how to do like our new digs?"

Hedwig let out a long, low hoot as her head slowly swiveled around, taking all the books. After a minute, she turned her amber eyes and let out a high-pitched hoot.

"Hey, are you thinking of what Hermione's reaction would be if she got in here?" Hedwig let out a short hoot as an answer and Harry chuckled and sat on his desk. "I know exactly what you are thinking girl. We would never be able to get her out. That is, once she recovered from the initial shock of the all the books in such close quarters with her. And most of these books are from Dumbledore personal library. You know Hedwig, sometimes you act so human that it is scary," Harry said, stroking her soft chest feathers.

"You have been doing really well delivering all these letters. That one for Dumbledore was especially important," Harry said as he gave her a couple of owl treats. "I have three more for you to deliver but they can wait till tomorrow morning. Actually, I still have to write two of them. Get some rest."

Harry sat down at the desk to write out the letters to his two best friends, Hermione and Ron. As he sat, chewing on the end of his pen (Harry had decided to use Muggle pens instead quills for the convenience of not needing an ink well), he decided that he would only ask them to meet him when he went to Diagon Alley and he would tell them in person. So that he did not have to make two trips to Diagon Alley to meet with them, Harry needed to know when his second wand would be ready. Taking out his new mirror, he looked into and said "Albus Dumbledore." Almost immediately, Dumbledore's head appeared in his mirror.

The Dumbledore blinked before asking, "What can I do for you Harry?"

"Professor, I was wondering if you had contacted Mr. Ollivander yet about my new wand."

"Yes, I actually just finished my conversation with him. He said that your wand would be finished a week from this Saturday. He was a bit excited; it is rare that he is contracted to work on a wand. "

"I see. Could you give me a second?" Harry said before summoning the letter he had received Gringotts to see if he could get the reading of Sirius's will rescheduled. He wasn't finding anything when he looked at the date again. _Heh, I read it wrong: it is in two weeks not this week, _Harry thought. "That works out just fine Professor. I only have to make one trip now. I had misread the summons from Gringotts; the reading of Sirius's will is on the same day Mr. Ollivander says he will be done with my wand. I am going to write Ron and Hermione to meet me on the same day." Harry paused before asking, "Professor, am I still being guarded?"

"Yes, I have not rescinded that order yet. While you are a very capable fighter who has fought in a real fight, you are still only fifteen years old. You have not had time yet to become stronger. I promise that once you attain more skill, I will remove your watch. I have learned never to underestimate enemies and, although I am certain that the blood 

charm that you have will protect you even though Tom has your blood in his veins, there is still a chance that he could find a way to break through it.

"However Harry, people will always come and help you and you call. You should be afraid to call for help. Also, do not forget that retreating is always a viable option. As the Roman historian Tacitus said so eloquently "He that fights and runs away, May turn and fight another day; But he that is in battle slain, Will never rise to fight again." Just some more food for thought. Tacitus said some interesting things, look him up sometime if you get the time," Dumbledore finished with a small grin.

Harry mentally snorted. _How the old man can go off on such a complete tangent and still make it relevant to the current topic is beyond me_, Harry silently mused. "Who drew the short straw today sir?" he asked.

"I believe it was Ms. Tonks is guarding you tonight. However, she, like everyone else who has guarded you in the past, volunteered for it."

Harry did not like the direction that this conversation was heading so he decided to end it. "Thanks Professor that is all I needed to know. I will talk to you later."

"Get some rest Harry, you look tired."

"Wait, I have one more question Professor. How do you terminate the call between two mirrors?"

Dumbledore let out a soft chuckle. "Tap the mirror three times with you wand. Good night Harry."

"Night Professor," Harry said right before tapping the mirror three times as Dumbledore had instructed.

Grabbing two pieces of parchment, Harry quickly scribbled the two notes for his best friends, asking them to meet him at the entrance to Gringotts at about one in the afternoon. This would give him a few hours to recover from anything that might happen from Sirius' will and give him time to draw up his own will and conduct any necessary business that might arise. After finishing the letters, Harry folded and labeled them before he put them to the side of his desk with the letter for Ginny. This chore done, he turned to Hedwig.

"Hey Hedwig, while you were flying over Privet tonight, did you sense anyone near the house?" Harry asked, thinking that Hedwig's incredible senses might have picked up an invisible Tonks. While he knew she was out there somewhere, Harry did not want to waste time scanning the entire neighborhood. _Besides, this is kind of fun_, he chuckled to himself. _It isn't everyday that you get your owl to spy for you_.

Harry smiled when Hedwig let out a confirming hoot. "Okay, I'll name places around here and if the person is in that area give me a hoot. Okay, the driveway?"

No hoot.

"Backyard?"

No hoot.

"Across the street?"

No hoot.

"The flower bed?"

Still no hoot.

Harry crossed his arms and started thinking hard. "Ah, where else might she hide. She would want to be able to scan the area but still be in a good position to fight… I got it! Is the person on the roof?"

Hedwig gave a short hoot and blinked her eyes.

"Good job girl. Here are some more owl treats. I'm going to visit our guest."

Harry leaned back in his chair to decide his plan of attack. The idea that came to his mind was simple in theory but would be tricky to perform. "It will be an excellent test of what I learned today. In addition, it could prove useful when gather my own information. Hey Hedwig, look what I learned to do today. _Accio wand_," Harry said holding up his hand. Hedwig's eye bulged slightly when she saw her keeper's wand fly from across the room into his hand. "I'll be back soon."

Harry closed his eyes and breathed deeply to help remove any reservations he had about the dangers of the plan. Pumping his shoulders Harry opened his eyes said in a determined tone, "HERE WE GO!" Harry first put a Disillusionment Charm on himself and disappeared, leaving a blinking and bewildered Hedwig.

At once Harry felt the cool night air ripping at his clothes. Looking down, Harry saw how objects become very miniscule at five thousand feet, the altitude to which he had Apparated himself.

Sticking his wand into the back of his head, Harry quickly invoked two new spells that he had discovered earlier in the day, "_Oculus Aquila_,_ Oculi Perspicacis_." The first spell was the Eagle Eye charm and the second was the Penetrating Eyes charm; the first allowed him to see clearly at great distances and the second allowed him to look through any 

techniques used to make a person invisible. The two spells allowed Harry to spot the short, bubble-gum pink hair that Tonks liked to sport.

Harry allowed himself to enjoy the feeling of free falling for a few more seconds before Apparating himself silently behind Tonks. Grabbing her from behind, Harry clamped a hand over her mouth and one around her midriff. Before she could even process what was going on, Harry Apparated Tonks to his new study. Once they landed, the Invisibility Cloak that Tonks had been wearing slid off and created a silvery grey heap at their feet. Harry grabbed the stunned Tonks' wand from her hand before she regained her senses and attacked. He guessed that, in this time of war, she would use a very powerful, and painful, curse against him without seeing who it was that had abducted her. Harry backed up a couple of feet so he would be out of any hand-to-hand techniques that she might use. It was then that he canceled the Disillusionment Charm.

"Wotcher Tonks?" Harry said in a soothing tone; he knew that she was in all probability scared out of her mind, Auror or not. Harry cocked his head as he realized something- he rather enjoyed scaring Tonks out of her mind. It gave him a high of sorts.

Tonks turned quickly to face the voice that had spoken from behind her. Her feet, however, were tangled in the invisibility cloak on the floor and she ended up falling on her face at Harry's feet.

Harry smiled and knelt down. "Careful there Tonks, that's a new rug."

Tonks looked up and saw Harry hold out a hand to help her up; she did not take it. "Proved you're Harry, tell me two things that only he and I would know," she commanded in a tense voice while her left hand slowly crept to her hidden second wand that was tucked into a hidden pocket on her cloak.

Harry's sharp Seeker eyes saw this movement and he quickly guessed that she had another wand hidden somewhere. "_Accio Wand_," he quickly said and a wand zoomed out of a hidden pocket on Tonks' cloak. "Alright, last summer when you came to pick me as part of my advance guard, you had purple hair that you thought made you look 'a bit peaky' and that you thought the cleanliness of the house, except for my room was unnatural. How's that?"

Tonks gave a small smile. "That's got it. Now help me up," she said reaching out for Harry's hand. Once she was firmly on her feet, Tonks swung her small fist at Harry. Leading with her knuckles, she smashed Harry with as much force as she could muster at the joint where the humerus and collarbone met and where a large group of nerves was present.

This move caught Harry by surprise. When Dudley had used him as a punching bag when he was younger, Harry always expected the punches and was prepared for the pain. The unexpectedness of the punch combined with the accuracy made for severe pain that 

dropped Harry to his knees. He tried to work out the by shaking his arm but he found that it was hard to move.

"That will hurt for awhile," Tonks told him as she got to her feet. "The major pain will go away in few minutes but you might feel twinges of pain for a couple of hours with occasional numbness, especially in the muscles of your forearm. Any problems you might have moving it will go away with the pain. Anyways, that is what you get for scaring the shit out of me!" Tonks yelled the last phrase with fury.

"Sorry," Harry said as he rubbed his arm, "I had to see if my tactic would work."

"What bloody tactic? How did you sneak up on me? I had the entire area covered, including the sky." Tonks' face fell from the epitome of pissed off to complete befuddlement.

"Well, everywhere except five thousand feet straight up."

Tonks cocked her head. "Come again? What do you mean 'five thousand feet straight up'?"

Still rubbing his arm, Harry stood up. "Exactly what it sounds like. I found out from Hedwig that she sensed someone on the roof, which by the way is a great tactical position. I did a Disillusionment Charm on myself and Apparated to five thousand feet above the house. Once I appeared, I did two spells that allowed me to find you on the roof. Once I had your position, it was a matter of Apparating behind you, grabbing you, and then Apparating us to my new library."

"You Apparated to five thousand feet? Have you lost your mind?"

Harry cracked his sad smile. "Yeah, I think lost it a while ago but that is a moot point. It's nice to see you again Tonks."

Tonks smiled as well as she could. She was disturbed by the smile she saw on Harry's face. Most of the time she saw him last year he had been grim and moody but she was still able to see through to the nice Harry that everyone loved because her Auror training taught her to read people. This smile revealed that Harry was hurting but reading deeper, Tonks found a rage of such intensity make her stagger. She had never felt anything like it, not even from the Death Eaters.

"It's good to see you too Harry." Tonks dropped her smile yet retained a soft expression. "Dumbledore gave me your letter earlier. You know, you have nothing to apologize for; the five of us went because we wanted to. It was the first battle in this new war that we won. Eleven of the most dangerous wizards are in custody and Voldemort revealed to the world that he was alive and well. Against that we only lost one person." Tonks paused to judge how Harry was reacting to what she had said so far. She found that he had what could be called an apathetic expression.

Tonks pressed on. "I know it may not seem like we won because the only people who did not get hurt are you, Lupin, and Dumbledore," Tonks paused a second to compose herself. "And we lost a good man but it was a great blow to Voldemort's forces. I loved Sirius too but I know he did not want to mourn so that it prevented us from living our lives. While it may not have been the way he wanted to die, fighting to protect you was a way that he would freely choose again." Tonks gave a small smile and put a hand on Harry's uninjured shoulder.

Harry nodded. "Not too long ago I chewed out Hagrid for saying sometime similar about how Sirius died. I have matured some since then and I see the truth. It was a victory for us. I do not know how long it will be before Voldemort takes back those Death Eaters, and he will, but it stalled any plans he had and showed the true faces of those pieces of trash."

Tonks' smile widened. "True, I hadn't thought of that yet. Now, care to tell me why you decided to scare the shit out of me when you grabbed me?"

"Tonks, how good are you with Legilimency?"

Tonks arched an eyebrow. "It is a required skill for Aurors. Before a person becomes a full Auror, they have to be able to break into a person who has some basic skills in Occlumency. I found that I had a natural skill in Legilimency; there are very few people able to resist my attacks," Tonks said with pride. "I am slightly better than Professor Snape."

"I thought that would be the case with Aurors. I need your help testing my shields. I think I got it down but I need to be sure." Harry tapped his head three times with his wand. "I got some things in my head I want to protect." While Harry said this in a joking tone, his thoughts went to his conversation with Minister Bones.

"I believe I can help you out. That is if you would so kind as to give me back my wands," Tonks said, holding out her hand.

Harry let out an embarrassed chuckle. "Oh yeah, I forgot about that." He reached out to put Tonks' wands in her hand but paused with his hand right over her petite hand. "Tonks," Harry said in a serious tone, "do not go easy on me: hit me with all your power." After saying this, Harry pressed the wands into her hand.

"Okay," Tonks said as she put her secondary wand into the hidden pocket on her cloak before looking into the green eyes as well as her five foot five inch could. "I rarely use my full power because it is rarely required. My full power can give you a wicked headache for days. Are you that sure of your shields?"

Harry nodded. "I am."

Tonks shrugged. "Well, if you insist…_Legilimens_."

Harry was surprised at how fast her wand moved. He smirked as he realized that Tonks had started preparing when she had looked into his eyes as she warned him about her full power. _Well, a good idea but it won't work._

Tonks had expected more trouble from Harry since he had spoken with such confidence regarding his shields but she entered his mind with ease. However, before she could start digging for memories and other thoughts, a shade of Harry appeared before her.

"Thought you could look around my mind?" The shade of Harry asked. "Well, you thought wrong, goodbye," it said as it stuck its middle fingers up.

Tonks started gawk but before she could move a muscle, a wall of wooden spikes came into view and slammed into her, causing her to drop her wand; she felt a slicing pain on her face and felt something trickle down her cheek. She put a hand to the cheek and saw blood on it when she pulled it back. Somehow, she had gotten a cut that felt like it had gone deep into her skin, when she had tried to dive into Harry mind. She looked up and saw Harry wearing a smile of grim satisfaction.

"Looks like it worked perfectly," Harry said.

"Harry, what kind of Occlumency is that?" Tonks asked in a puzzled tone.

"Oh, it was not traditional Occlumency," Harry said with the same grim smile.

"Then what the hell was it?" Tonks said, starting to get exasperated.

"It is a new spell I cooked up today. I call it my 'Palisade Mind Guard'. It is always on, this way I do not have to waste time learning Occlumency. I invoked it when I tapped my head three times before. Before you hit the palisade wall (you know, the wall covered in wooden spikes), did you get a message from me?"

"It was rather cheeky Harry," Tonks said, still holding her hand over the gash in her face.

Harry smile exploded into a smirk that covered his face. "Yes! I must have a natural talent for inventing spells; this was one of my first ever!" Harry looked back to Tonks and saw her nursing the wound. "Oh, sorry about the cut, let me fix it."

Before Tonks could answer, Harry stepped up to her and gently pulled her hand away from the gash. Lightly cupping her chin, Harry gently turned her head so that the cut was inches from his eyes. Harry examined the cut for a second before muttering "_Cutis Renovatio" _as his wand slide down the gash. Tonks felt a slight itch where the cut was as he did it. Harry still held her face as he examined the area where the cut had been. He waved his wand and Tonks felt the blood that had begun to congeal on her face disappear. After quickly inspecting for any missed spots of blood, Harry let go of Tonks' chin.

Harry then conjured a small mirror and handed it to Tonks. "Is that good enough? If it isn't, I learned some spells that will smooth it out or whatever is required. They are safe to use on a Metamorphmagus," Harry added.

Tonks took the mirror and surveyed her face. Her eyes widened in surprise: she could not find any sign that there had even been a nick much less the gash that had felt like it had almost hit bone. "Nice work Harry, I can't see any sign of the cut. Where did you learn that spell? I want to learn it."

"I found it in one of books that Professor Dumbledore gave me today," Harry replied. "I'll copy it for you."

It was only now that Tonks noticed that the tiny room that she had seen last summer had undergone some major changes. "Whoa, nice apartment Harry. Dumbledore set this up for you?"

"Yep, he said that 'I was due' for something like this. Anyways, let me copy that spell for you." Harry summoned the tome from which he had learned the spell, A Miscellaneous Listing of Advanced Spells for the Bored Wizard. "I was stuck with the spell I was creating and decided to learn some spells that might come in handy during this war. Ah, here it is: the Skin Reconstruction charm." Harry now summoned a piece of parchment and set it on the opposite page of the healing spell.

Harry touched his wand to the page with the Skin Reconstruction charm on it and said, "_Ad Verbum Exscrbriběre_." Moving his wand to the parchment, Harry said, "_Ad Verbum Inscriběre_," and the page was copied exactly as it appeared in the book, worn look and all. "There you go," Harry said, handing the paper to Tonks.

Tonks took the piece of paper and put it into a pocket on her cloak. "Thanks, I hadn't seen this spell before and, as you said, it will come in handy during this war. Do you need anything else? If not then I need to return to guard duty."

Harry shook his head. "No you don't."

Tonks cocked her head. "And why do I not have to return to guard duty?"

Harry gave a slight smile. "You don't because I can throw up some wards that will warn us if any Death Eaters come near this house." Harry held his wand up and twirled it in a circle. "_Propinquitas Defensio Death Mark, 5 miles_," he said as he twirled his wand. "There, I did the Proximity Defense ward. It will warn all magical people if someone with a Dark Mark comes within five miles and start to make the person burn as if they are being hit with Stinging Hexes. That should give us ample time to escape or call for reinforcements."

Tonks' mouth was agape. "Exactly how did you learn such complex spells? I had never heard of the Skin Reconstruction charm or the Proximity Defense ward before today. They both sound like they are well above N.E.W.T level."

"Hard work, concentration, and determination are the answers to your question, Tonks my dear. You have those three working for you and you can do anything," Harry said.

Tonks sniffed the air. "Harry," she sniffed again, "I smell a big pile of bull shit."

Harry gave a cheeky smile. "Well, to quote the Weasley twins, 'Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies.' Anyways, how long is your shift for guard duty?"

"It goes from eight PM to eight AM," Tonks said.

"Whoa, you guys do twelve hour shifts? That is just wrong, a waste of manpower," Harry said. "I'll have to talk to Dumbledore about it."

Tonks stepped up to Harry and looked into his eyes. "Well Harry, lots of people, including me, thinks that you are worth it. Keeping you safe is important because-"

Harry gave a half smile. "Because as long as I am alive, Voldemort will not be able to focus solely on taking over the world. I am a reminder that he is not perfect, all-powerful, et cetera. I am a constant thorn in his side. Dumbledore also wants me guarded because I am destined to kill him or be killed by him. So if you see Voldemort do not try to fight him."

Tonks let out an exasperated sign. "No, it is because you are a great guy who has earned VIP treatment. You deserve it kiddo. But what do you mean, 'destined to kill Voldemort'?"

At hearing the praise from Tonks, Harry's half smile dropped. "Didn't Dumbledore tell you about the prophecy that the Order was guarding last year?"

"Not what it contained, just that it was important and it would be a blow against Voldemort if we kept him from getting his hands on it. What did it contain?"

Harry cocked his head. "I'm impressed Tonks, you managed to say Voldemort."

Tonks gave a crooked smile. "Well, I sat myself down and decided it was stupid to be afraid of a name. Being afraid of the actual person is okay but whimpering like a child if I even hear his name is not okay. So, what did this prophecy say?"

"Well, it became engraved in my mind when I heard it myself. It goes like this:

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches,_

_Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies_

_And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not_

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives_

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies..._

"The mark is my scar, I was born on July 31, my parents defied Voldie three times, and the power Voldemort did not know about was the protection my mother gave me when she sacrificed her life for me," Harry explained in a bluntly. With those facts in mind, it appears that I am the only one who can kill Voldemort."

Tonks' face fell. "I'm not sure how not to understate this situation but that really sucks Harry."

"Yeah…" Harry breaks off, a frivolous thought running through his mind. "You know, I never thought about it before but, I do not like how the word 'dies' is used to describe my birthday. That just isn't right."

"Hmmm," was all Tonks could say. Harry could tell she was still hung up on the prophecy.

"_Hora_," Harry said and his wand told him it was 1:30. "Tonks, did you get a chance to eat before you came on duty?"

"I brought a snack," Tonks said, holding up a package that Harry suspected contained a sandwich. "And I brought something that you requested earlier." Tonks brought out another small package and put it on the table. "It is kind of heavy," Tonks said as she enlarged the package that turned out to be the anatomy and physiology book that Harry asked Dumbledore for earlier. "Why did you want this massive book Harry?"

"You do not really want to know Tonks. As for your sandwich, _Reducto_," Harry said and exploded the package. He quickly cleaned the remains from his study with his wand.

Tonks clearly expressed her disbelief at Harry's actions. "That was my dinner."

"Following me Tonks, I'll fix you something good in my new kitchen. I haven't eaten either," Harry said as he turned on his heel and walked away towards his kitchen. "I've got an hour to kill."

"Ah, okay," Tonks said as she followed Harry into the new kitchen where he had already began taking out ingredients.

"Tonks, do you mind having spaghetti?"

"No, not at all."

"Okay, let's see if I have what I need." Harry went to a cabinet that held herbs and spices. "Oregano, basil, parsley, black pepper, cayenne flakes, and hot sauce." As he said the names, Harry pulled them out and put them on the counter.

Going to the refrigerator, Harry pulling out ingredients. "Let see, ground beef, garlic... Oh, I have fresh basil, parsley, and tomatoes, that kicks ass," Harry said as put these next to the spices and went to the pantry. "I hope I have some tomato sauce, onions, and spaghetti… Yes, I do. Tonks, you had better prepare yourself for the best spaghetti sauce you ever had. This is my own recipe. It calls for some red wine but we do not really need it."

Tonks watched in amusement as Harry began to cook up dinner. "Can I do anything Harry?"

"Ah, get us something to drink. There are some sodas in the fridge, get those out," Harry said as he began to brown the meat that he had seasoned with parsley, oregano, and some of the minced garlic, chopped onion, and basil.

Once the meat was cooking in a large skillet, he diced the tomatoes before mixing it with the tomato sauce, hot sauce, cayenne flakes, black pepper, and the rest of the onion, garlic, and basil in a large pot. Harry added the beef once it was cooked. Harry then set the spaghetti to boil. When it was cooking, Harry sat down across from Tonks.

"Wow, Harry, I didn't know you could cook," Tonks said.

"Well, I had to help cook for the Dursleys for most of my life. It was inevitable that I pick up some skills," Harry said with a shrug.

"They made you cook for them?"

"Some of the time. They also never celebrated my birthday, locked me in a cupboard under the stairs, and a bunch of other nasty things to me." Out the corner of his eye, Harry saw Tonks' eyes narrow in anger. "Yes it is a sad sob story that I can use to get attention and sympathy; I use to whine all the time about it. However, I do not have time to waste my anger or energy on them anymore so I have buried it. I have learned that a little bit of apathy can go a long way in achieving one's goals."

Tonks saw that Harry's words were the truth: he had stopped caring about the past. There wasn't any forgiveness, just apathy.

"Oh, the spaghetti is ready," Harry said. He waved his wand and utensils and plates appeared on the table. Harry poured the spaghetti through a strainer to get rid of the 

boiling water and transferred the sauce to a bowl. Harry levitated the sauce and spaghetti to the table.

"It smells good Harry," Tonks said, "But it looks like you made too much sauce."

"For this amount of noodles, yes I did. However, this sauce keeps very well. It makes for an easy and filling snack even without any noodles. Put some in a bowl and microwave it for about a minute forty-five and it is ready. Hell, it is good enough to eat cold."

"Can I get the recipe Harry? As an Auror, I tend to keep irregular hours and something like this would be awesome."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I'll give it to you later. I forgot where I heard it. Now dig in Tonks," Harry said as he spooned some spaghetti and sauce onto his plate. "Oh wait, we need some bread. Ah, _Accio bread_," Harry said, lifting his wand and catching the load of wheat bread that sail at him. "Now we can really dig in." Harry and Tonks sat for the next fifteen minutes, enjoying the fruit of Harry's cooking skills.

After Harry's third plate and Tonks' second plate, they both sat back with blissful expressions on their faces. Harry lifted his wand and for the third time said, "_Hora_." The silver smoke told him that it was 2:35. "Whoa, I didn't know so much time had passed. I need to get back to work," Harry said as he stood and collected the dishes. He covered the leftover sauce and placed it in the refrigerator before putting the dirty dishes in the dishwasher.

"You do know you can wash those with magic, right?" Tonks asked as Harry turned on the dishwasher.

"Yeah, I know I could but I was raised as a Muggle and this is easier for me; I don't know how to live as a wizard you could say," Harry said as he rolled his head around, stretching his neck.

"Alright, I am going to get back to work. The bathroom is through that doorway in an alcove in the bedroom. You can sleep in the bed if you want since I probably sack out in the library. Make yourself at home. '_Mi casa es su casa'_, as the Spanish say. My house is your house. Just don't tell whoever takes over for you at eight; I am only going to extend this invitation to you. Well, see ya later Tonks," Harry said with a smile as he turned to go back to the library.

Tonks smiled at Harry's back. _Nice guy, handsome, a bit mysterious, smart, and a good cook, if only he was a few years older_, Tonks thought, shaking her head. _Well, I'm not that much older than him so if he is still single in a few years…_

As soon as he was facing away from Tonks, Harry dropped his smiled and cleared his mind so he could focus on his work. He hadn't told anyone the main reason for the letters that he wrote. The goal was to achieve some closure. It did not really matter to Harry how 

people responded to his letters since he was not writing them for anyone's benefit except his. They tied up loose ends in Harry's life, allowing for a more complete separation from other people that Harry desired.

In the back of his mind, Harry was beginning to wonder if Dumbledore could tutor him. He had found once he actually began to work that his work would not benefit from anything that he might learn from N.E.W.T. level schoolwork. He had decided that he would save time trying to find the spells he needed to fight and develop his own. Any help he might get from Dumbledore would be more along the lines of advice.

It had been two hours so he could reactivate the Ritual effects. Cracking open the new book, Harry turned first to the section that had details on the human skeleton.

Grasping his right ear lobe with his left hand Harry said, "Learn," and began to read. A few pages into the chapter, Harry was wearing a malevolent smile. "Excellent, just what I wanted," he said as he took a pen and started making notes.

Author's Note: And so ends the second day of my story (the fourth day after Harry gets off the Hogwarts Express). I promise that by the end of the next chapter I will be midway through July at the least. I promise.

A word about the punch that Tonks gave Harry- it hurts exactly as I describe. I practiced on myself to see how best to describe it for you, my readers (it does cause a little numbness). That said, I have to give a disclaimer- Do not try anything you read in my story in real life. You can really hurt someone.


	7. Krav Maga and Other Business

Author's Apology: Sorry for the wait but this chapter just kept going. I nearly doubled the number of pages and words with this monster.

Chapter 7

Krav Maga and Other Business

"Come in," Dumbledore called as he heard the knock at his office door. A quick look at a clock told him that it was exactly eight o'clock in the morning.

Kingsley Shacklebolt stepped through the doorway. "You wanted to see me Albus?"

"Yes, please have a seat," Dumbledore said, standing up from his and motioning to an empty chair in front of his desk. He waited for Kingsley to sit before he sat back down. "Thank you for responding so promptly to my request for a meeting."

"Of course, I suspected that subject is rather important since you contacted me so quickly after the battle," Kingsley said in his deep voice.

"I had an enlightening conversation with Harry Potter yesterday. He requested a meeting with me to discuss plans for the war. He knows now that he will end up filling a large role in the fight against Voldemort and Harry knows that, as he is now, he will be more of a hindrance then an asset in most situations. As he is, he could only be a figurehead and there is no chance that Harry would ever let himself just be a rallying banner for people flock to," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Harry learned several lessons during that fight at the Ministry," Dumbledore continued, his voice taking on a grave tone. "One is that there might come a time where he, for some reason, cannot use magic. He knows that sometimes he might have to physically fight an enemy and he would like to know how he could do that. That is one area where I cannot help him and that is why I asked to meet with you.

"I have heard that you are one of the most talented hand-to-hand fighters that the Aurors have. If it is possible, could you teach Harry to protect himself?"

Kingsley sat back in his chair, thinking to himself. "Yes, I could instruct him in the fighting style that the Aurors use. It is called Krav Maga and is used in dozens countries law enforcement and militaries, Muggle and magical. It is arguably the most effective self-defense system ever created," Kingsley replied. "It has been proven effective in war."

"Is it safe or appropriate to teach a fifteen year old?" Dumbledore asked wondering if Harry really needed to learn fighting techniques that were used by armies.

"In the Muggle country of Israel where it was first developed, the Israeli Ministry of Education recognizes it as the leading method of self-defense and there are extensive 

training programs run there in public school. There are also thousands of classes taught around the world everyday to civilians. So yes, it is okay to teach Harry Krav Maga," Kingsley finished with a small smile.

"Very well, you have convinced me. When can you begin teaching him?"

Kingsley paused in thought before saying, "I can start today. I could meet with him around two o'clock if that is okay?"

Dumbledore nodded. "I'll check with him right now if you don't mind waiting a minute."

After he got a nod from Kingsley, Dumbledore took out his mirror and said "Harry Potter," to it. Harry's head appeared almost immediately in his.

"Good morning Professor Dumbledore, what's up?" Harry's head asked.

Dumbledore examined the face before him and saw it looked a little haggard. He sighed before he asked, "Did you sleep last night Harry?"

"No sir, I have been working on some stuff. Time is not something that we have in great supply."

Dumbledore sighed, "Harry, do you remember everything you and I did yesterday? You need to pace yourself or you will burn out before the month is up. Merlin, it has only been a couple of days since the term ended."

Harry's head frowned and asked, "What is it that you need Professor?"

Dumbledore's lip twitched at Harry's tone. "I am currently meeting with Kingsley Shacklebolt. He says that he can start today to teach you the fighting skills you desire. Is around two o'clock okay for you?"

"Yeah, it's is a good time for me," Harry's head replied.

Dumbledore's eyes caught movement. Looking up he saw Kingsley motioning for a word. "Hold on a minute Harry. What is it Kingsley?"

"You need to tell Harry to get plenty of rest for this afternoon. He might be in pretty good shape but Krav Maga is physically intense."

Dumbledore nodded as he looked back at the mirror. "Harry, Kingsley recommends that you get plenty of rest before this afternoon session. He says it is very rigorous."

"I understand sir. Oh yeah, I don't need to be guarded anymore."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly. "Oh, what changed from since our discussion last night?"

Harry's head smirked as he said, "I set up a ward that will warn me if someone with a Dark Mark approaches within five miles of my house. That would give me ample time to get away. I would Apparate to Grimmauld Place and hide out there until the situation is sorted out. This way you have more manpower for operations carried out by the Order."

Dumbledore's face didn't show his astonishment at this development. "Are sure about the strength of your ward?"

"If you want to test it, have Snape Apparate to within five miles of my house."

"No, that isn't necessary," Dumbledore said quickly, not wanting to risk his only spy's well-being to test this ward Harry had put up. _Knowing his state of mind, it might dismember any Death Eater who comes close to him_, Dumbledore thought. "Very well, I will cancel the order to guard you."

"Then I will wish you good day sir. Tell Kingsley that I will be ready at two o'clock for him. Talk to you later Professor Dumbledore," Harry's head said gruffly before disappearing.

Kingsley watched Dumbledore briefly show his age after he finished his conversion. After waiting a few minutes of silence, Kingsley finally said, "Albus, do you need me for anything else?"

Dumbledore straightened. "There are going to be times when your duties as an Auror will conflict with your lessons with Harry. Will this impede his progress?" Dumbledore asked.

"Yes," Kingsley answered, "There will be times when I will not be to give him his lesson but in my absence Tonks can cover me. In the event that both of us are occupied, Harry will be able to practice by himself. It is a nice aspect of Krav Maga; it can be practiced very easily by oneself. Actually, I think I might have Tonks join us for our sessions about once a week. It will give Harry a different opponent to spar with."

Dumbledore gave a small smile. "Very good, very good. You have a good plan worked out Kingsley. It is reassuring. I'll see you at the meeting tonight?"

"Is it at the normal time?"

Dumbledore nodded and said, "Yes, it is still at nine o'clock. I believe that Serverus has a report as to what was Voldemort's reaction to the battle at the Ministry."

Kingsley nodded. "Good, that might give us an indication as to when he might try to get the captured Death Eaters back. Well, then I will see you tonight."

Dumbledore's call had made Harry realize how tired he was. "Staying up all night working is harder then it seems," Harry observed aloud. Harry sensed a presence behind him. "And I saved you from it Tonks." Harry turned to see the young Auror drying her hair, apparently having just showered.

Tonks shook her hair to get more water from it. "Yes, thank you Harry. Nice bed, by the way. How did you know I was behind you?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm not sure; it is just something of a sixth sense. I like your hair today. Why is it longer?"

Tonks ran a hand through her hair, which was now shoulder length and black. "Well, I found that it is easier, for some reason, to wash it when it is longer. Do you really like it?"

Harry nodded and said, "Yeah. It is more becoming of you then the short hair that is some wild color. It compliments your features more than short hair. Put it up in a pony tail and I think it would look perfect."

Tonks' cheeks reddened slightly at Harry's words. "I might consider it. You can charm a girl really well."

Harry scoffed. "I doubt that. Just ask my former romantic interest Cho Chang. We went on one date and it was, to put it mildly, a complete disaster. Hmmm, Hermione would also speak very frankly about my shortcoming when it comes to the fairer sex."

Tonks shook her head. "You should give yourself more credit. First relationships are learning relationships. Especially for guys," Tonks said with a wink. "And here's just a thought—you might have been trying too hard with Cho. That might be one of the lessons you could take away from that relationship."

"Anyways," Tonks continued, "I have to get to work. I think that Hestia Jones is up next for guard duty. You remember her, right? She was the young witch with pink cheeks and black hair who was part of your advance guard. "

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I remember her. So why are you telling me this Tonks?"

Tonks gave Harry a mischievous smile. "I was just thinking that you might want to practice charming a girl on someone you don't know really well. I'm pretty sure she won't mind."

Harry's face tightened slightly. "Well, even if I wanted to practice, I don't have the opportunity to anymore. I talked with the Professor earlier about people guarding me 

and he agreed to discontinue the practice after I told him about my ward." _Besides, I am not going to have any energy to spare on mindless pursuits of love. Fighting a war doesn't require love. It would just in the way of exterminating the Death Eaters_, Harry thought.

Tonks gave a weak smile. She couldn't shake the feeling that Harry was trying to isolate himself as much as possible. "Well, I'll see you later kiddo," Tonks said as she gave Harry a hug. "Give me a buzz on my mirror if you need anything. Whether it is backup in a fight or just a hug or anything in between, I will help in any way I can."

"Thanks Tonks," Harry said with sincerity that surprised him. _I guess cutting ties with other people is going to be harder than I thought_, he thought bitterly. "Oh yeah," Harry added as he held out a piece of paper. "Here's the recipe for that sauce. It is really easy to make."

Tonks took the paper. "Thanks, I am going to enjoy making it." She smiled at him before disappearing with a soft pop. Harry stood rooted to the spot, random thoughts fluttered around his mind. After a few minutes, he reached up and rubbed his temples.

Suppressing a yawn, Harry looked over at Hedwig. "Hey Hedwig, it's time to wake up," he called softly. Hedwig removed her head from underneath her wing to see what her keeper needed. Harry held up the three remaining letters. "These two," Harry said as he attached the letters to Ron and Ginny to one leg, "Go to Ron and Ginny. This one goes to Hermione," Harry said as he tied the last letter to her other leg. "Ron has Pig so he can respond to me but you will have to wait for Hermione to write her response since she doesn't have an owl."

Hedwig hooted and took off. Harry watched her until she disappeared into the sky before ending the ritual effects. Stretching his back, he made his way to his bedroom. He pulled out some pajama bottoms as he stripped off his clothes. Pulling on the bottoms Harry climbed into his bed. After setting his wand to wake him at two o'clock and stuffing it under his pillow, Harry pulled the covers up to his chin and drifted off to sleep.

Kingsley stood Disillusioned in front of Harry's house. Before he had left, Dumbledore had said that there was a peace between Harry and his relatives. The stories Kingsley had heard about the Dursleys was they had a phobia concerning magic. This fed their intense hatred for magic and anyone or anything associated with it. Obsessed with the ordinary was what Tonks had said later on in the night after they had come to pick up Harry last summer.

"Well, I don't want to cause any trouble," Kingsley said to himself before Apparating to Harry's room.

Harry was in the gym stretching when he felt someone Apparating into his room. Grabbing his wand, Harry turned in the direction of the person and launched a stunner. He almost let another fly when he saw that it was Kingsley after he canceled the Disillusionment Charm. However, he kept his wand trained on Kingsley.

"What did you say wouldn't happen last summer when you came to get me from here?" Harry demanded.

Kingsley thought for a second. "Oh, I said no one is going to die," he said as Harry lowered his wand. "Nice reflexes Harry."

"Thanks," Harry vaguely said. "So, tell me about this fighting style I am going to learn. Do I get to learn Kung Fu?"

Kingsley shook his head and replied, "No, you are going to learn a self-defense system that is more effective. It is called Krav Maga. It was developed for the Israeli military but was so effective that it was introduced into many different militaries and law enforcement agencies. It is also used by civilians. It is arguably the most effective fighting system ever created."

Harry smirked. _I'm going to learn a military grade fighting style,_ he thought. "What makes it so effective?" Harry asked, eager to learn more about Krav Maga.

Kingsley smiled, finding that he liked to teach. "Well, it is simple to learn. After all, it was designed so that a solider could learn it in the three weeks of basic training. In twelve weeks, a person could master the most effective techniques, both physical and mental, with only four hours a week.

"Another feature is it relies on a human's instinctive nature. Its techniques work with what a human might do in a situation preventing any hesitation. A split-second of hesitation can prove to be a fatal mistake. In addition to it relying on a human's instincts, Krav Maga also enhances a person's instincts by teaching them to become more aware of any situation allowing them to anticipant what an attacker might do. In short, it trains the mind as well as the body." Kingsley paused to allow Harry to soak in the information. "Do you understand so far Harry?" Kingsley asked.

Harry nodded. "Yes, I do so far."

"Another aspect that makes Krav Maga so effective," Kingsley continued, "Is its adaptability. While it has basic mental and physical techniques, Krav Maga can be adapted to fit any situation. After training in Krav Maga for a while, you will be able to mold it to your own personal style. If something doesn't work very well, it is easily modified.

"For example, although high kicks are included in the style, Krav Maga recognizes the many people don't have the flexibility (or energy in the case of soldiers 

who have been running with a full pack of equipment) to successfully launch one. Therefore, the people developing Krav Maga integrated mid-level and low kicks as well as the use of knees and put a little more emphasis on them. Are you still following me Harry?" Kingsley asked.

Harry gave a faint smile. "Yeah," Harry answered. "Anything else I need to know about Krav Maga?"

"Yes, there are two more items to cover. One is that Krav Maga is designed to be used by anyone no matter their age or build. It was made so that a person the size of Tonks could defeat someone like me who outweighs her by 75 pounds and has a height advantage of eight inches.

"Finally, there five tenets to the behavioral code: good citizenship, train properly to avoid injury, act humbly, avoid confrontation whenever possible, and do not use unnecessary force. Do you have any other questions?"

Harry searched his mind for any possible questions but couldn't come up with any. "Nope, I can't think of any."

Kingsley nodded. "Okay then, let's go over the schedule. I will be here at two o'clock every day. We will start by stretching and doing other warm up exercises. Then we will start the lesson of the day. About once a week, I'll have you spar against Tonks. This will help you develop your Krav Maga and give you more experience. So, let's begin."

For the next ten minutes, Harry went through a variety of warm-up exercises and stretches. The remaining time with Kingsley taught him just how smart it was that he had gotten some rest. Harry knew that he was in pretty good shape but found that one aspect of Krav Maga that made it such an effective fighting style was also an exhaustive exercise-- continuous movement. After covering the basics on different ways to strike an opponent and defend against them in Krav Maga, Kingsley had thrown Harry immediately into learning how to flow from one strike to another instinctively while trying to defend himself from attacks.

At the end of two hours, Harry was on a knee panting with sweat dripping from his face. Looking up at Kingsley, he got some satisfaction to see that his instructor was slightly out of breath.

Kingsley gave a small smile before saying, "You learn quickly Harry. We covered a lot of material today and you managed to soak it up like a sponge. I can already see the beginnings to your own style of Krav Maga. Now for a review. What are the twenty-four vulnerable targets on the human body?"

Taking a deep breath to steady his own breathing, Harry began to recite the areas that Krav Maga taught a person to aim for. "Ah, the hair, eyes… the ankles, and the top of a person's feet."

Kingsley nodded. "What areas do we want to avoid?"

"Hard skeletal areas like the crown of the skull."

Kingsley nodded again. "That is correct. Last question, if you are fighting Death Eaters and have to use your Krav Maga, what are the rules that you have to follow?"

"If it is a Death Eater I am fighting and I have to use Krav Maga, there aren't any rules. I will be fighting to stay alive and Krav Maga teaches that you use any means necessary to stay alive. Bite them if you have to."

Kingsley smiled. "Well done Harry, well done. I think for tomorrow's session I will have Tonks join us. It is sooner than I thought I would have you spar with her. However, I want to get an accurate assessment of how far you progressed today. I'm not sure how well you will do against Tonks who has been training for years but I have a feeling that you might hold your own. After seeing you spar for a bit, I will be able to focus on what might become problematic areas."

Harry nodded as he conjured a piece of cloth to wipe the sweat from his face. "That sounds good to me. I sense that before we end for today that you have a couple of items to cover that don't relate completely to our Krav Maga lesson," he said without looking at Kingsley.

Kingsley managed to hide his surprise from his expression and kept it from his voice as he answered, "Yes, I do. How did you know that?"

Harry smiled. "Oh, you could say it is a passive form of Legilimency I found in a book and let's leave it at that. You can ask Dumbledore later on if you want."

Kingsley narrowed his eyes somewhat. "I do have a couple of things to show you. I have a spell to teach you and a practice dummy for you. I'll cover what the dummy is for first."

Kingsley reached into a pocket and pulled what looked like a doll. After setting it on the floor, he enlarged the doll into what looked like a mannequin that was very realistic. Kingsley walked over to it and beckoned Harry over. Harry got back on his feet and walked over.

"This," Kingsley said motioning to the dummy, "is a training dummy we use at the Auror Academy. We use it to increase the accuracy of spells during duels and our Krav Maga. You control it through this control panel," Kingsley said as he opened a hatch on the back of the dummy's head.

Harry walked around behind the dummy to get a better look. Inside the hatch, he saw three buttons. Looking closer, he saw that each position had a label- OFF, KRAV MAGA, DUEL. The off button was currently depressed.

"The buttons are as they seem," Kingsley explained. "Press the one next to what you want to practice. If you press the Krav Maga button, a set of four buttons will appear labeled accuracy, easy, medium, and expert. The easy, medium, and expert buttons are as they appear- difficulty setting for how hard the dummy will fight you. Once you select one, you will have two minutes before the dummy starts fighting unless you attack first. The fight will last for twenty minutes but you can stop at anytime by yelling 'stop' at the dummy. A word of warning about the expert mode—it is for extremely experienced fighters. I have trouble with it. It takes years of practice before you can stand against the dummy in expert mode.

"The accuracy option is used to increase the accuracy of your strikes. The dummy won't move but it will tell you if you hit one of the areas in an effective manner by sounding a tone. This mode gives you a chance to what method for striking a target is best for you. Do you understand about the Krav Maga mode for the dummy?" Kingsley asked.

Harry nodded.

Kingsley gave a faint smile. "Good. Now let's cover the duel function. Like the Krav Maga mode, when you press the duel button, a menu will appear with three buttons, easy, medium, and expert. Once you make your selection, you will have two minutes to prepare. Once the duel starts, the dummy will move around and fire off spells at you. They won't be strong spells, just Stinging Hexes, and you shouldn't fire anything at it stronger than Stunners. The main purpose is to a person to practice moving, firing spells, and blocking them. The difference between the modes is the rate that the spells are fired, the speed at which the dummy attempts to dodge the spells, and the length of time that the duel lasts- ten minutes for the easy mode, twenty for the medium mode, and thirty for the expert mode. The expert mode on the duel mode isn't quite as rough as it is with the Krav Maga mode but it is still challenging for even the best Auror. Understand all of that?" Kingsley asked though he had a feeling that Harry had, like everything else they had talked about, soaked it up like a sponge.

However, Harry got a far-away look in his eyes and didn't respond to Kingsley's question. As Kingsley was about to prompt Harry for a response, Harry looked at him and asked, "Kingsley, why haven't the Krav Maga mode and Duel mode been combined for a third choice? Surely it would be a great idea to train using both magical and physical techniques at the same time."

Kingsley gave an embarrassed chuckle as he replied. "Yes, that would be a good idea. However, no one has been able to figure out how to combine the two modes. It is 

embarrassing-- the elite wizards and witches of England not being able to do something like that. We have found that it is pretty complicated for some reason."

Harry began stretching out his arms as he asked, "Okay, what's the spell you want to teach me?"

"First off, it's a spell that only Aurors are taught so you cannot show it to anyone or I might get fired. It's not exceedingly dangerous but we Aurors would prefer that it not be known to the general public. They might consider it 'excessive force'. Is that understood?" Kingsley said with a McGonagall-like tone that prevented Harry from even thinking of objecting.

Harry nodded, "Yes, I understand."

"Very good," Kingsley said. "The spell I want to teach you is a spell that goes along with hand-to-hand combat. It is called Iron Gauntlets. What it does is make you knuckles feel hard as iron and protects them from injury. The incantation is _Digitalium Ferreum_. You cast it by pointing your wand first at your left hand as you say _Digitalium _and then at your right as you say _Ferreum_.

"However, it would help to try to learn to cast this spell wandlessly. It is much quicker and easier to hide that you cast it. To do it wandlessly, make a fist with you left hand as you say _Digitalium_ and then make a fist with your right had as you say _Ferreum_. As you do this, you have to picture your entire hand. Got it?"

Harry thought it over. "Yeah, I understand," he said.

Kingsley gave another slight smile. "Good, good. Before I leave, do you want to practice with it?" Harry nodded and so Kingsley held up his large hands saying, "Okay, cast it and then punch my hands, very softly. I will be able to tell you if you did it correctly."

Harry nodded as he softly punched with his right hand. "There, did I do it correctly?" he asked.

Kingsley's eyes went wide as he felt an iron clad fist land squarely in his palm. "Merlin Harry," he said as he rubbed his hand, "you are a fast learner. That was perfect. Well, that wraps up our lesson for today. Would you mind if I informed Dumbledore of your progress? I think he would like to know."

Harry shook his head, "No not at all. Um, how do I cancel the Iron Gauntlets spell?"

"Sorry, forgot about that part. Just picture your hands and think _Finite_. Well, see you tomorrow." Kingsley held out his hand.

"See you," Harry said as he took Kingsley hand. Kingsley stepped back and was gone with a soft pop. Before heading back to his bathroom for a shower, Harry grabbed his ear and ended the Ritual effects. "Interesting, the Ritual learning advantage extends beyond books," he said.

As he was about to enter his bathroom, Harry felt his mirror vibrate. Taking it out of his pocket, he found Tonks' head giving him a cheeky smile.

"Wotcher Harry," The head greeted him.

"Hey Tonks, what's up?" Harry asked.

Harry saw Tonks bite her tongue before she said, "Ah, do you mind if I share what I observed last night with Dumbledore?"

Harry shrugged. "No, I don't mind but thanks for asking."

Tonks' head gave a bright smile. "No problem kiddo," it said before it disappeared.

Ten minutes later, Harry stepped out of his steam-filled bathroom feeling refreshed. As he stepped into his bedroom, Harry ducked quickly, narrowing avoiding a collision between Ron's owl Pig and his head. Feeling annoyance towards the feathery tennis ball, Harry snatched it quickly from the air. Harry saw that Pig was carrying two letters.

"Damn it! I told her not to write back. I don't really give a damn what she thinks or has to say," Harry growled as he detached the letters. After he had the letters in his hand, Harry walked over to his window and tossed Pig none too gently outside.

As he walked back to his study to read Ron's letter, he examined them to figure out which one was Ron's and which one was Ginny's. As he reached his desk, he recognized the untidy scrawl that belonged to Ron, Harry crumpled the other one up before conjuring a small dish. Placing Ginny's letter in it, Harry set fire to it. Settling himself in his chair, Harry flipped open Ron's letter. As he read, his eyes narrowed and his cheek twitched.

"That bastard," Harry said as he read the nasty letter. "It seems Ron is following Percy's advice and is severing his friendship with me."

Harry stopped reading after the third time Ron called him an attention-seeking git and leaned back into his chair. Harry had suspected at the train station that Mrs. Weasley might have wanted to urge her children to stay away from Harry. While she had acted normally with the hug, Harry had felt a lack of feeling in her hug and words.

"I guess she thinks that her real children will be a bit safer staying away from someone who is only as good as a son to her," Harry said quietly to himself.

However, the wording of Ron's letter told Harry that he hadn't written the swear word filled letter he had written it on his own without any outside influence. These words were his true feelings. Harry crumpled the letter and threw it into the same dish where he had burnt Ginny's and lit it on fire.

As he watched the letter burn, Harry had an epiphany about his relationship with Ron. "He has never really been a true friend. Sure, he helped a little but most of the time he was just tagging along, wanting to bask in the spotlight that is always on me. Now that it gets dangerous, he wants to ditch me and save his own skin. He should have been a Slytherin the chicken shit coward," Harry said aloud, remembering Phineas Nigellus' words about how Slytherns will always choose to save their own skins if in danger. "Well, I'm better off without him tagging along, distracting me with his juvenile jealousy."

As the fire burned itself out, Harry vanished the bowl. He started thinking again and was surprised at what his conclusion was—he didn't really give a damn what Ron said or did. Harry was surprised at how quickly his thoughts turned apathetic towards his former best friend.

"Well, I don't have time to waste on feeling anything towards a weakling like Ron," Harry said as he went to the kitchen to get something to eat. As he sat eating, he began going over spells that he was working on.

Kingsley walked up to the statue that stood guard over Dumbledore's office. "Pepper Imp," he said and the gargoyle jumped aside. Kingsley knocked on the door at the top of the spiral stair and waited.

"Come in," a voice called out. Kingsley opened the door and found Tonks sitting across from Dumbledore. "Ah Kingsley, I wasn't expecting you but I am still glad to see you. How did Harry's first Krav Maga lesson go?" Dumbledore asked as he rose from his and gestured to an empty chair.

"It went extremely well," Kingsley said as he took a seat. "Harry grasped the basic techniques of Krav Maga so quickly that I had to alter my lesson plans. By the time we ended for today, I was training him at a level that would normally be given after a person has been training for a week or two." Kingsley paused for a breath and looked to see if Dumbledore understood. Dumbledore nodded so Kingsley continued.

"However, it was not just in Krav Maga that Harry managed to surprise me. I taught him a spell today and he got it picture perfect the first time he use it. The surprise in that is he did it without a wand and nonverbally." Kingsley paused as he saw a small smile on Dumbledore's lips.

"Please continue," Dumbledore said.

"The other is something that he says is 'a passive form of Legilimency'. I'm not sure what it is exactly because he didn't give any details just that he found it in a book. From what I could tell, he used it twice. When I first Apparated into his room, he launched a Stunner right where I appeared. By the time I appeared fully, the Stunner had almost reached me so he had to have somehow launched as I had started Apparating. The second was after the lesson when I wanted to explain a couple of things to him. He prompted me about them. He couldn't have read any body language that I might have been showing because he wasn't looking at me. Do you have any ideas about this power Albus?" Kingsley asked. He had become a bit unnerved as he explained it as he realized what exactly had happen. He glanced at Tonks and found her watching him with wide eyes.

Dumbledore nodded, some of the excitement that he felt showing. "Yes, I have heard of it. It's very old magic, not many people ever know it exists. It's indeed a variant of Legilimency called _Intenus Aestimare_ but it is arguably more powerful and effective. The person using it gains the ability to discern another person's intent when it is fully trained. While they cannot actually predict what a person is going to do, the person using it can narrow it down as Harry did with you today Kingsley. They can also detect bursts of magic like with Appartation."

"Yeah, he did something like that this morning. I was standing behind him and he noticed me without turning around. He said it was a sixth sense," Tonks added.

Dumbledore thought for a second. "Yes, it could be described as a sixth sense."

Tonks smiled as she asked, "And what about this new ability of Harry is getting you so excited?"

Dumbledore gave a broad smile and the twinkle in his eyes grew brighter then the two Aurors had ever seen it. "Why, it shows how much Harry has progressed! As a Professor, when I hear reports of a student of mine showing this much power and knowledge, it gives me an immeasurable amount of joy. Harry is managing to tap into the great potential that I have seen in him. This technique, the _Intenus Aestimare_, is something that I doubt the vast majority of wizards and witches could even begin to hope to achieve let alone achieve the amount of control that Harry seems to have gained. For a Professor," Dumbledore paused briefly to collect himself, "it is like watching a beautiful flower bloom. It is complete and utter rapture." Dumbledore leaned back into his chair with a look of absolute bliss.

Tonks and Kingsley waited a few minutes, watching Dumbledore before Tonks finally spoke up. "Ah, Albus do you need anything else?" she asked.

Dumbledore shook his head and sat up again. "Sorry about that, I got a little carried away. No, if you two don't have anything else to report I'll see you at the meeting tonight. Tonks, thank you for informing me about that healing spell that Harry performed on you. I think it will help Poppy worry less."

Tonks and Kingsley both nodded and got up and moved to the exit. As Kingsley was about to open the door, Dumbledore called out to them. "Oh, please keep what Harry's training a secret. I have a feeling that although he allowed both of you to talk to me about what you have observed, he doesn't want anyone else to know."

"Gotcha Albus," Tonks said with a wave as Kingsley nodded his understanding.

As Tonks and Kingsley were walking towards Hogsmeade to Apparate, Kingsley asked, "Why would Harry have to perform a healing spell on you?"

"Oh, he kind of used me as a guinea pig to test a nasty spell he created in place of Occlumency. It caused me to get deep gashes in my face, which Harry healed quite well. Oh, I learn something from Harry that I decided not to tell Dumbledore. If you are ever guarding something, include the area directly above you. Harry Apparated to five thousand feet to find me before he grabbed me and Apparated us into his room. It scared the shit out of me."

Kingsley gave a chuckle. "Hey Tonks, are you going to be free around 3:00 PM tomorrow?"

Tonks gave a sideways glance at Kingsley. "Yeah, why do you ask?"

"Well," Kingsley began, "Well, Harry took to his Krav Maga train like a fish to water. I want you to spar tomorrow with him so I can see which areas I need to focus on."

Tonks shrugged. "Okay, I'll be there," Tonks said as they reached Hogsmeade, "Seeya tonight Kingsley at the meeting."

"Bye," Kingsley said before Apparating away with a soft pop.

After the two Aurors left, Dumbledore let out a sigh. The worry he felt but hid as Tonks and Kingsley both described their encounters with Harry, surfaced and he began to show his old age.

"I knew the _Utlis Discěre Ritus_ was powerful but I had no idea that it was that powerful. I knew Harry had potential to be so powerful, but I never expected to surface so quickly," Dumbledore thought aloud. "Even Tom didn't progress this quickly."

Dumbledore had limited experience with _Utlis Discěre Ritus_. The complexity of it made it a rarity to study and he had never studied the effects that it had on a person when someone was as angry as Harry was used it. Anger and hate could be powerful 

motivational forces and Harry had both in excess. Dumbledore got up from his chair and walked over to a window. Looking over Hogwarts' grounds, he sighed. "Why is it that the right and necessary thing to do in a war always seems to be the worse choice a person could make?' Dumbledore asked aloud. Reaching up, he pinched the bridge of his long nose.

A chill ran down Dumbledore spine as he wondered how far Harry would go to get an edge over his enemies. "While anger and hate are power motavators, they also cloud a person's judgement. Please be careful Harry," he wispered to himself. "Too much power, too quickly is a dangerous thing."

The next day at two o'clock sharp, Kingsley found himself again at the business end of Harry's wand.

"No one is going to die," Kingsley said unprompted. He let out a silent breath as Harry wand lowered. After the conversation with Dumbledore, he wasn't keen to find out what might come out of Harry's wand.

"Sorry, although I am sure of my ward, I don't feel like taking any chances." Harry looked around. "Where's Tonks? I thought you said I was going to spar with her today."

Kingsley nodded. "Yes, I told her to come at three o'clock. Before you spar with her, I need to teach a few more moves. You need to learn how to fall properly, how to retreat if you are on the ground, clinching, takedowns, how to avoid takedowns, and escaping from holds." Kingsley noticed Harry posture straightened slightly at the last part. "I take it that the reason you want to learn physical self-defense is that during the fight at the Ministry, someone put you in a hold and you couldn't get out."

Harry nodded. "Yes, while in the Death Room, Macnair grabbed me from behind and started choking me. Neville broke it by ramming a wand into the eyehole of his mask. If he hadn't, I would have been suffocated."

Kingsley nodded. "Yes, that type of hold is called either a forearm choke or a blood choke and is one of the most effective and therefore dangerous strangulation techniques. The attacker has a choice between crushing your windpipe, like what happened with you, or by cutting off the blood flow to your brain by constricting your carotid arteries. Blood chokes also allow the attacker to maneuver their body to exert maximum force while holding you in a very precarious defensive position."

Harry let out an angry sigh. "So I was lucky," he said softly.

Kingsley inclined his head slightly. "Yes, you were lucky but you decided not to depend on luck anymore and Krav Maga's techniques will help with that."

Harry nodded curtly, gathering anger so he could focus more. He found accidentally that _Utlis Discěre Ritus_ became vastly more potent if directed with emotion. "Well, let's get on with the lesson. I won't have Krav Maga's techniques if I don't learn them."

Kingsley smirked as he said, "Then let's get to it."

For the next fifty minutes, Harry learned various ways to escape and turn the tables on his opponent. Kingsley put emphasis on this aspect.

"Remember Harry, that although the techniques you just learned could be grouped into defensive moves, they enable you to go on the offensive as you counter. This simultaneous offense and defense aspect of Krav Maga enables you to stay on offense and makes your opponent react to you," Kingsley said before checking his watch. "Hmm, about ten minutes before Tonks arrives. Let's take the time and rest you a bit."

Harry nodded and summoned wandlessly two bottles of water from a cooler that was against the wall. After he caught them, Harry tossed one to Kingsley.

"Harry, if you don't mind, could you tell me how many spells you can do wandlessly?" Kingsley asked gently, knowing Harry's secretive nature.

"I can do simple stuff like levitate, summon, stun, and throw up shields. I just focused on learning small stuff. Oh yeah, I can do your gauntlet spell too. I could learn more but I don't really need to. And you can report that to Dumbledore if you want to," Harry added.

They sat and drank their water for a few minutes before they started to stretch out their muscles in anticipation for Tonks' arrival.

A few minutes after three, Kingsley saw Harry grab his wand and point at the center of the room right before Tonks popped into view. She looked startled as she saw the end of the wand glow slightly.

"What's my favorite color?" Harry demanded.

"I have no idea, you haven't ever told me," Tonks said looking very nervous.

Harry smirked and lowered his wand. "That's right," he said, "I haven't told you. For the record, I don't really have a favorite color."

Kingsley cleared his throat and said, "Alright, as entertaining as it was to see Tonks so scared, let's get down to business." Tonks gave Kingsley a nasty look at this.

"To start, both of you put on these pads," Kingsley said as he conjured some padded grappling gloves, elbow pads, and padded shin guards that also covered the top of a person's feet.

Tonks and Harry both put on the pads. Afterwards, Tonks started limbering up as Harry waited for more instructions from Kingsley.

Kingsley glances at Tonks before turning towards Harry. "Okay, Tonks has done this before and therefore knows how it works. However, you don't so I am going to explain how Krav Maga sparring works.

"First off, remember the second tenet for Krav Maga is to train properly so you won't get hurt. In keeping with that, until you and Tonks get used to each other, you will fight at half speed." Kingsley looked back over at Tonks. "Are you ready Tonks?" he asked.

Tonks was bouncing on the balls of her feet. "Yup, whenever you say go," she replied.

Kingsley nodded and said, "Very well, the first fight will be limited to upper strikes—no kicks or knees. In addition, there will be no striking to vital areas. It will last for ten minutes. Ready, go!"

Harry had no time to think as Tonks launched herself at Harry, leading off with a horizontal elbow strike that was quickly followed up with an uppercut. Though he had blocked it, the powerful elbow threw Harry off-balance and he was unable to fully block or dodge the uppercut. Harry allowed his head to go in the direction of the punch to minimize the impact. As he stepped back, he launched a straight punch at Tonks to dissuade her from following quickly. However, she deflected his punch and aimed a roundhouse punch at his ribs.

_This may only be at half speed but it is still pretty damn fast, _Harry thought after five minutes of being battered by Tonks. _I'm letting her dictate the fight—I need to change that right now!_

As he thought this, Harry launched an over-the-top elbow that forced Tonks to retreat a bit. This allowed Harry to put more distance between the two. _Now let's play to my strengths! I have a longer reach than her so let's keep this distance,_ he thought.

For the last five minutes, Harry managed to keep Tonks from getting to close save for a few times. While he didn't do much damage, Harry managed to get in a couple of shots to her body and a solid hit to her jaw.

"Time," Kingsley called at the end of the ten-minute match. "Well done Harry. You realized quickly that Tonks had a slight speed advantage in addition to her more 

experience in Krav Maga when you were in close quarters. To counter that, you wisely put distance between the two of you so you could take advantage of your longer arms."

Harry let out a calming breath. "Kingsley, I was under the impression that you were supposed to avoid injuring an opponent in Krav Maga. Yet Tonks came at me a millisecond after the match began with that elbow when I wasn't really prepared. If I hadn't blocked it, it could have done serious damage."

Kingsley smiled. "You have just found the paradoxical nature of Krav Maga training," he told Harry. "Yes, you have to train in a way so you can avoid injuring someone you are practicing with. Krav Maga, if practiced incorrectly, can lead to severe injuries. However, you must also train to simulate the real world tension that you will feel when you get into a fight where there are no rules. People who practice Krav Maga must find a middle ground to balance.

"Tonks attacked like she did because she has experience in knowing how to make it as real as possible without hurting her opponent. Believe it or not, that elbow was light compared to what she could have done."

Tonks gave Harry a small smile. "I am sorry if my attack seemed harsh but I did it that way because this is serious business. We are in a war. You are learning how to defend your life or the lives of other people. As Kingsley said, that was a low power elbow. Watch it at my real level."

Tonks conjured a rectangular pad and tossed it to Kingsley who slipped on his arm as he got into a fighting stance with the pad about a foot in front of his chest. As Harry watched, his eyes bulged slightly at the speed of Tonks elbow. His mouth opened slightly as the pad Kingsley held was pushed all the way back into his and his back straightened.

Tonks glanced at Harry. "I think we made our point Kingsley," she said as she turned towards Harry. "As you can see Harry, the elbow I threw at you was light compared to what I can throw. It was also a good demonstration of how muscle doesn't matter much in Krav Maga. Now, you ready for the second round?"

As Harry nodded, Kingsley said, "Okay, I think you two are ready for full force. For this match you will fight with all your might and it last for ten minutes but we will add lower body strikes. Go!"

Harry was a bit more prepared for the sudden start and was the first to attack and he started with a medium height roundhouse kick with his left leg. He wasn't too surprised that Tonks caught it. As she was preparing to deliver an elbow to his thigh, Harry closed the distance by bending his knee and he attacked with an over-the-top elbow that he brought down towards Tonks' collarbone. Tonks dropped Harry's caught leg to block his strike allowing Harry an opportunity to bring his right knee into Tonks' solar plexus, knocking her back. Harry smiled as he smoothly pressed his attacks.

Kingsley watched the fight with a calm expression. However, his mind was far from calm. _Harry has Tonks completely on the defensive and has not allowed her any chance to attack_, Kingsley thought. _How does he do that? He is only on his second day and yet he is dominating Tonks who has been practicing for years. I thought he might be able to hold his own against her but this is ridiculous! _Kingsley shook his head slightly.

"Time," Kingsley called again after ten minutes had passed. "Very impressive Harry, I did not expect an outcome like that. You strike with very little hesitation and allow yourself to rely instinct. You flow from one movement to another."

Harry was breathing hard from the workout. "Well, that might be happening because I am somewhat use to it, being a Seeker and all. Once I start after the Snitch, I stop thinking about what I am going to do and allow my instincts to guide me," he said with a shrug.

"Yeah, that makes sense. You are doing well, so let's step it up a bit," Kingsley said as he threw a jab at Harry who managed to parry it. "Tonks, time us for fifteen minutes. Don't hold back for this match Harry," Kingsley said as he pummeled Harry's defenses.

For the next fifteen minutes, Tonks saw and Harry felt what it meant to be a master of Krav Maga. More often than naught, Kingsley's blows found their targets and though they were soft strikes, the repeated hits to Harry's body accumulated. Towards the end, Harry was starting to have a hard time moving.

"Time," Tonks called.

Harry slumped to the floor, completely out of breath, and held his sore ribs.

"Put your hands on your head to breathe easier Harry," Kingsley said. "You did slightly better than I expected. Maybe next time I will fight with half of my strength."

Tonks and Harry's eye bulged at this statement. "You mean you weren't even fighting with half of your power?" Harry asked in amazement.

"Actually," Kingsley said, "the only times when I fight with my full strength are against the practice dummies. The rest of the time I fight with less than twenty percent of my power. This last match I fought with about forty-five percent. You are very good Harry, a real natural. But you still have a ways to go."

"Dumbledore wasn't kidding when he said you were the best in hand-to-hand combat among the Aurors," Harry said under his breath.

"I gathered from today that all you need to do to improve your Krav Maga is just more practice and experience. You don't have any weak areas. Very well, unless you 

have any questions Harry, I think we will call it a day. Thank you Tonks," Kingsley said before Apparating away.

Harry had finally regained control of his breathing when he felt Tonks' eyes on him. "That was a good fight you put up Tonks. Do you have any bruises that you want me to heal?"

Tonks shook her head. "No, I'm alright. You really surprised me today. Is today really your second day?"

"Yup, I am kind of surprised myself. I think there was a lot of luck involved," Harry said as he survey Tonks. She looked like something was bothering her but Harry didn't care to find out what it was.

"Well, I'll see you later Harry," she ended up saying before disappearing with a crack.

After ending the Ritual's effects, Harry headed to his room to get a shower. However, as he entered his room, he saw Hedwig waiting for him on top of his dresser.

"Hey girl, you have Hermione's reply?" Harry asked and got a hoot. Hedwig fluttered down to him and held out her leg. Harry took it and gave her a couple of owl treats. "Hedwig, I don't think I'll have any more letters for a while. If I do need you, I'll contact you through a spell I recently learned. So go have fun," he finished as she stroked the soft feathers on her chest. He tossed the letter on his bed. He planned to read it after his shower.

Hedwig's large, amber eyes clouded over with hurt. Harry gave the first smile that genuinely conveyed a positive emotion. It expressed his affection toward his loyal companion.

"Don't look at me like that Hedwig," Harry said. "I am just not going to talk to people for a long time probably, it has nothing to do with you. You can visit me."

Hedwig still held a sad look in her eyes but seemed appease for the time being. She looked at Harry before looking meaningful at Hermione's letter.

Harry glanced at the letter. "What, does she want me to write a reply?" Hedwig hooted. "Don't worry about it; I'm not going to reply to her letter. She can wait for the Saturday after next. Go have fun. You've earned it."

Harry turned his back on her got ready for his shower. Ten minutes, Harry emerged in from a cloud of steam feeling refreshed. He flopped down on his bed to read Hermione's letter. After unfolding it, he found that she had filled up two pages for her response. Harry skimmed the first page and found it only contained her worry about him. 

He crumpled up the page, tossed it in the air, and blasted it with a Reductor. His Reductor curse was so strong that nothing remained of the paper.

"Hmm, looks that practice with the accuracy mode has started to pay off," he muttered aloud as he began the second page. Here he found the actual response to his letter to her. "Oh, so she got a summons too? Well, that solves that. I guess I'll see her at the reading of Sirius' will."

Harry decided to take short a nap before returning to work. Harry tried to sleep but one thing kept bothering him. "Well, might as well get it over with. I wonder where Dudley is," he thought aloud. He decided to Apparate around the area to find his cousin.

Deciding to try the playground first, Harry first Disillusioned himself so he wouldn't be seen. "If he is with his little friends and they see me, they might try to fight," Harry thought himself aloud, "I'll easy kick their asses but that might hinder my use of Dudley. As much as I hate it, I need that tub of lard for a little longer."

"Your right hook has gotten better since last summer, Big D," Dudley's friend Piers said.

Dudley laughed at the exploits of the day. "Yeah, Evans is always fun to make a piggy out of, he sure can squeal."

'_Hey Dudley,'_ a voice that sounded like Harry's said in his head, ending his laughter and his progress towards his house. Dudley's friends stopped too.

"What's up Big D?" Gordon asked.

'_This is Harry; I am using magic to communicate with you. I need to talk with you but I don't feel like talking to your friends right now. Tell them you think you left something near the swings. That is where I am,' _Harry's voice told him.

"Hey guys, I'll catch up with you all tomorrow, I think I dropped something at the swings," Dudley said quickly.

"Alright, come to my place tomorrow," Piers told him. "My parents are out and they just restocked the liquor cabinet. Let's get totally fucked up!"

"Sounds good. See you tomorrow," Dudley said before moving off towards the swings.

Harry watched from the swings as Dudley said goodbye to his friends and started walking over towards the swings. As soon as Dudley's little friends were far enough 

away, Harry canceled the Disillusionment Charm. He saw Dudley paused briefly on his walk towards Harry. He mentally smirked at his cousin's fear.

"Hey Dudley, nice day today isn't it?" Harry asked as Dudley stopped a few feet away from Harry.

Dudley wasn't sure but there was something different about his cousin. He seemed focused and had an air of power about him. _What the hell happened to him?_ _He wasn't like this yesterday. It is almost like he is hungering for a fight. _Dudley was surprised at himself as he thought this. His experiences in boxing told Dudley that Harry would make for a dangerous opponent. _I wouldn't get away without any injuries._

"Heh, yeah it is pretty nice," Dudley replied, trying unsuccessfully to keep the fear from his voice. "So, ah, what can I do for you Harry?"

The smirk in Harry's mind widened, happy to see that he was successfully scarring his monster of a cousin as he said, "The weekend after next, I am planning a shopping excursion. This is where I need your help in my training.

"I need to bulk up, build muscle so I'm not so scrawny anymore. I figured that since you are a boxer and all, you could point me in the right direction for what I need. Keep in mind that money is no issue for me. I can buy anything I need," Harry added.

Dudley pursed his lips as he thought about what to recommend to his cousin. "Well, since I am guessing that you will most likely be working out by yourself, I suggest that you get the same kind of weight lifting machines that you find in a gym. They are a bit safer than free weights and they can guide you in the proper way to work your muscles to get the most benefit," Dudley counseled. "They also usually come with information about what the machine works."

Harry thought for second, recording the information into his memory. "Thanks, anything else?"

"Yeah," Dudley replied, "three more things. One, in addition to the lifting equipment, you should buy a treadmill, stationary bike, or anything else that gives you an aerobic workout. This will give you stamina so you can fight longer; you'll also be able to throw more punches without tiring too quickly.

"Next, you need to decide what kind of lifting you want to do. If you are aiming to have big muscles, you do heavier weight with fewer reps per set. If you want to have more have toned muscle, lighter weights and more reps per set. Oh yeah, in terms of fighting, muscles that are too bulky can get in the way by slowing you down."

Dudley took a breath before continuing. "Finally, it can help if you when you're working out if you have music playing. You could time your reps to be in time with the music or just to keep you entertained so you don't get bored with lifting which can 

become monotonous. I'll burn you a couple of CDs of music that is good for lifting and fighting."

_Wow, monotonous is a big word for Dudley's little brain. I wonder if he really knows what it means_, Harry thought before saying, "Well, the kind of fighting style I am learning is kind of like running, it has constant movement so the stamina part is covered. All right, that's all I needed to know. See you later Dudley," Harry said before Apparating back to his bed for his nap.

The next week passed quickly for Harry. He fell into an accidental training routine. Waking at 6:30 AM, Harry would start hitting the books by seven o'clock. After the first couple of days where Harry had plowed through books without any plan, he began to pace himself by deciding what topic to focus for that day. One day he would study curses while the next he might study shields. However, he never allowed himself studied the same on consecutive days. This prevented him from get caught up in one subject at the detriment to other topics.

After reading for a few hours, Harry set about creating and modifying spells, incorporating what he learned that day. The spells he had created so far made three piles on his desk. Harry knew that some of them he, or anybody, would never use but decided to keep for reference purposes. These spells made up the largest of the three piles.

Another pile was reserved for spells that Harry had created that were not suitable for battle but were note worthy enough that the magical world would benefit from knowing. Among them were some advanced spells for treating different injuries that bones could sustain. Most of these spells, particularly the bone healing spells, were by-products of the spells that made up the third pile- the Battle Spells.

This third pile was protected with the most advanced protection spells that Harry had found so far and more were added when he found them so that only he could access them. He didn't want anybody to know how to cast them. These brutal spells could be grouped with the Cruciatus Curse in that there were not any redeemable aspects to them. They were designed merely to kill Death Eaters in very painful fashions.

Also in this pile were spells that Harry had created but wouldn't work. He knew would work because he had weakened their effects and he could cast those. One of Harry's goals was to find a way to allow him to cast these spells.

Around one o'clock every day, Harry Apparated to an abandoned quarry where he tried out his spells. One of the first creations that Harry had made was a training dummy that completely replicated a human being's anatomy, complete with working organs and body systems. The dummy could take on the appearance of any person that Harry wanted. Currently it resembled Snape. This gave Harry a chance to gauge how effective his spells were. After each spell, Harry reset the dummy with a simple spell that he created to go along with the dummy.

After practicing for about fifty minutes, Harry Apparated back to his room and started to prepare for his Krav Maga lesson. Since his fight with Kingsley, Harry's lessons consisted mainly of reviewing the moves so they became second nature to him.

After the Krav Maga sessions, Harry stayed in the gym and practiced with the training dummy that Kingsley had provided him with after their first lesson. Harry practiced mainly used a new setting that he had installed. He had stumbled on to a way to combine Krav Maga with regular dueling in a light bulb moment right as he was about to go to sleep. Ever since then Harry had train almost exclusively with the dummy on that setting.

Before he knew, Harry found himself on the eve of reading of Sirius' will. The chosen topic of study for the day was wards. At the moment, Harry was trying to figure out how house elves were able to ignore Anti-Appartation wards and Apparate when wizard couldn't. Harry had the spell model in front of him and a book opened to a detail description of how to cast it but still couldn't find where it allowed elves to ignore them.

The spell model was one of the most complex spells he had ever seen because it was unorganized, with parts of it looping into other parts completely unrelated. It was so disorganized that Harry had begun to think that the disorganization was intentional to prevent someone from unraveling the ward to find a weakness. He had studied the problem a couple of times before but had never found a way to break through. He was becoming frustrated from the lack of progress.

Sitting back in his chair, Harry pushed up his glasses to rub his eyes. "Well," Harry said to himself, "I guess I'll have to go to an expert." Closing his eyes, Harry said "Dobby" and heard the telltale crack of the house elf Apparating. Harry opened his eyes to find Dobby in front of his desk. "Hello Dobby."

The little elf's eyes went wide. "Harry Potter sir, what can Dobby do for you?" Dobby squealed in excitement.

"Hey Dobby," Harry said again. "First off, I would like to thank you for all the work you did on my room. It's perfect and very comfortable."

Dobby bounced on his feet. "Thank you Harry Potter! Dobby remembers your room before I worked on it and wished he had done it before."

"Well, thank you. I have two questions for you Dobby. The first is why can I summon you like I just did?" Harry asked.

"Well when Harry Potter freed Dobby, Dobby believes a bond was created. Harry Potter's noble act of freeing Dobby allows Harry Potter to summon Dobby," Dobby replied.

Harry was taken aback with this response. "Oh, it isn't like the bond you had with the Malfoys is it?"

"No Harry Potter sir, this bond only allows Dobby to hear when Harry Potter calls Dobby's name. Dobby is free to choose if Dobby will come to help Harry Potter or not," Dobby said, still bouncing.

"Okay, that's good to know. I didn't want to inadvertently take away your freedom. All right, the next question is a bit harder. Do you know why it is that house elves can Apparate anywhere they want, including Hogwarts which has wards preventing wizards from doing it?"

Dobby stopped bouncing. "Harry Potter, Dobby has been told by other house elves that wards are meant for people, not elves. House elves have to be able to do their Master's bidding."

"So the wards were designed to allow elves to travel through them but not wizards," Harry said to himself. "Dobby, can I record your magical signature as a house elf?" Harry asked after a minute of thought.

Dobby resumed his bouncing as he said, "Of course Harry Potter can scan Dobby!'

Harry smiled and took out a piece of paper. "Alright, hold still for a second Dobby."

Dobby held still as Harry waved his wand over the elf, muttering a few words. Then he pointed the wand at the piece of paper and muttered a few more words. Intricate drawings and words in Latin began to fill the page. A minute after they began appearing, the writing stopped.

"Thanks Dobby," Harry said. "Using this data I just collected from you, I will be able to search the spell for sections that resembles your data. This will really help me."

Dobby did a back flip at this. "Dobby will always help Harry Potter! If Harry Potter needs anything, just summon Dobby!" Dobby squeaked before disappearing with a crack.

Harry surveyed the data he had just collected. "Yes, this will help immensely," he said as he said back down and got to work

Across the country, another teenager was also having trouble with her magic.

"Damn it, what am I doing wrong?" Susan angrily asked herself. She flung herself into a nearby chair to try to sort out what she might be doing wrong. "I'm saying the 

incantation correctly, I have a happy memory, but all I get is a silver mist! I think I actually regressed. In the D.A. class, I got something that looked like a dog or something like a dog."

For the next ten minutes, Susan sat mulling over what she might be doing wrong. She occasionally tried the charm but never got past a silver mist. Sighing, she let her mind run wild for a few minutes before she sat up suddenly.

"That's it," she said to herself. "I'll write Harry for advice! He'll be able to help me get past this block." Susan ran to her desk to write a letter to Harry. After finishing, she looked around before saying, "I forgot. Crescendo isn't back yet from delivering that last letter that Auntie sent. I think he will back tomorrow." Susan sighed. "Well, I guess I'll have to wait. Damn."

Sitting down at her desk, Susan glanced over at the trunk that held her books. "I guess I should try and get my summer work done. It will pass the time until Crescendo gets back and if I don't do it soon, Auntie will have my hide."

The next morning Harry awoke with the annoyance that he wouldn't be able to work as much today because of the will reading. Growling slightly, Harry went about his morning routine. As he said down to have some cereal for breakfast, he heard a tapping on his window. Let out a yawn, Harry walked over to the window and saw an owl standing on the window ledge. Opening the window, the owl dropped a letter from its beak and took off. Harry bent over and picked up the letter.

_Dear Harry,_

_As you know, Sirius' will reading will be held today at 10:00. I will pick you up at 9:50. I have heard from Dumbledore that you can Apparate but he feels that you should hide the fact that you can legally do magic for the time being. _

_You're Friend,_

_Remus_

"Well, I guess he want me to called him Remus instead of Professor Lupin," Harry said to himself. Looking back down at the letter, Harry felt enraged as he reread the section about Dumbledore not wanting the world to know that Harry could do magic outside of school. "Even though I agree with him," Harry said through clenched teeth, "that old son of a bitch should have consulted me! He has serious issues with being so controlling."

Still angry with Dumbledore's controlling personality, Harry let out an angry sigh, and went to his library to read to pass the time. He decided to read up on Dark creatures. He decided not to activate the Ritual effects too. Harry had found that his ability to comprehend new information had increased dramatically then it had before the Utlis_ Discěre Ritus_ was performed.

This is how Remus found Harry when he arrived slightly early, reading quietly. Before he could speak, Remus found himself staring down the end of Harry's wand. Harry had pointed it directly at Remus' head without looking.

"What did I say I heard when Dementors get too close to me?" Harry asked, still reading the book that was in front of him. The tip of his wand had begun to glow.

Remus breathed a sad sigh. "You told me that you heard your mother screaming and later on James shouting for Lily to take you and run," Remus said softly. Though he had never experienced the memory, the tale of what happened that horrible night, what happened to his dearest friends chilled him to the bone.

"Correct," was Harry's simple reply as he put down his wand. After finishing the passage that was currently in front of him, Harry closed the book and looked up at Remus. "So, why are you early?"

Remus let out a breath. "I have some bad news Harry. The Burrow was attacked last night by Inferi. Do you what those are?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, they're reanimated corpses. I just read about them," Harry said. "So, who died?"

Remus blinked at how matter-of-fact Harry had asked the question. "Molly, Ginny, and Ron were home and they were killed in the attack. If you read about them then you know what happens when they attack someone," Remus said with a shudder. "I hope I never have to see anything as brutal as that ever again."

Harry shrugged. "Well, this is war and people are going to die," Harry said simply. "What I am wondering about is weren't there wards protecting the Burrow?"

"Yes," Remus answered, wondering why wards had more of an effect on Harry then the deaths of people who were so close to him. "They were supposed to alert the Order if a witch or wizard who was not allowed to be there come on to their property. They were even effective against people using Polyjuice Potion."

Harry nodded. "That must mean that Voldemort has found an effective means of breaking strong wards."

Remus shook his head. "No, Albus and a couple of other people who are good with wards believe that the wards weren't forcibly broken. When someone breaks a ward, it leaves traces of magic. It leaves tatters that people who are well versed in wards can detect. We found no evidence of that."

Harry smirked. "Ah, so Percy must have chosen a new master. One who isn't as likely to fall to ruin like his previous two." Harry glanced at Remus. "I take it that the rest of you have come to the same conclusion?" Harry asked.

Remus nodded sadly. "I'm sorry to have to bring you news about Ron on what might already be a hard day."

Harry merely asked, "Mr. Weasley survived right?"

Remus nodded.

"So the only Weasleys left are Mr. Weasley, Bill, Charlie, and the Twins. Good," Harry said. He felt Remus' eyes on him. Turning towards Remus, Harry found disbelief in his eyes. "What? Are you surprised at my lack of caring that those three are dead while the others survived? You think it is rather callous of me?" Harry asked in a cold tone.

Remus' mouth hung open. "Yes, I thought his death would affect you more. I thought you two were like brothers. I thought that you had come to view Ginny as a sister and Molly as a mother."

Harry scoffed. "Yeah, I _thought_ that Ron was like a brother to me. I thought that Molly viewed me as an adopted son. It may have appeared that I thought Ginny was a good friend. Ah, appearances are so deceiving," Harry said, venom dripping from his voice.

"Last week Ron wrote me in no uncertain terms that we were no longer friends. He didn't want to go on any more dangerous adventures with me. As if it would have made him safe," Harry said with a small, dry laugh. "After I read his letter, I realized that he had merely stayed with me because I was Harry Potter and he wanted as much of the spotlight as he could get. Now that things are really dangerous, he wants to save his own skin. Or rather he wanted to save his own skin." Harry paused and looked at Remus. "You should know how it feels to have someone you considered a friend, someone you would risk your life for suddenly betray you.

Remus had a stunned expression on his face. Ron's betrayal was hard to process. "Yes, I can empathize with you," he said in a neutral tone. His heart rate had accelerated slightly with the thought of Peter's betrayal.

"Mrs. Weasley I believe had decided to distance herself, and her children that she still controlled, from me. When she hugged me at the train station, it was stiff and she felt distant. I guess her real children following me into danger showed her the difference between her real offspring and on who is 'as good as' a son to her," Harry said with surprisingly little anger.

Remus swallowed. "And what about Ginny?" He asked with a cautious voice. "You always seemed to get along really well with her and I doubt she would leave you like Ron did."

Harry scratched behind one of his ears. "Well, two items always weighed on my mind when I dealt with her. One was that she had a crush on my since she was very young because of a story of something that happened when I was one year old. The second thing on my mind was something she said after the twins had found out who I was. 'Oh, Mom, can I go on the train and see him, Mom, oh please…' She said this as if I was an animal at the zoo. I'm sorry but I can't get over that." Harry said with an almost disinterested tone, crossing his arms in front of his chest.

Remus let out a small sigh. Harry narrowed his eyes.

"Remus, Ron wasn't a very nice guy in retrospect. You do remember what Ron said after he found out you were a werewolf, right? When you tried to help him with his broken leg? He said 'Get away from me werewolf'. He didn't trust you despite all you had done over the year," Harry said with an anger-filled voice.

Remus sighed again. He didn't want to continue discussing Ron as it seemed it wasn't going anywhere and so he looked at his watch. "Well, we better get a move if we don't want to be late," he said slowly.

"How are we getting there?"

Remus held up a rusted can. "We are going via Portkey."

Harry walked over and grabbed the Portkey. Remus held up his wand and tapped the can. Harry felt the jerk behind his navel and the sudden rush of wind that accompanied Portkey travel before he found himself landing in front of Gringotts. As his feet touched the ground, Harry saw Hermione standing a few feet away with her mother. It took a few minutes for him to recognize her. She had done away with the mass of bushy brown hair. Instead, she had lopped off a good portion so that it barely went past her shoulder from what Harry could tell as she was currently wearing her now very straight hair in a loose ponytail.

"Harry!" Hermione cried out as she ran towards and almost tackled him to the ground with her hug.

"Hey Hermione, it's nice to see you too but could you loosen your grip a little? I'm having a little trouble breathing," Harry said with a chuckle as he put his arms around her shoulders in a light embrace. "Nice hair style by the way."

Hermione relaxed her tight grip on Harry's chest but still held arms around his chest. After a few minutes, she finally released him. "Thanks. How have you been? It looks like your relatives are treating you better at least," she said as she stepped back from him.

Harry shrugged. "Actually, I haven't seen them in about a week and a half. Dumbledore and Dobby turned my tiny bedroom in to an apartment of penthouse 

proportions. You should see how many books I have. They are mostly from Dumbledore's private collection and the restricted section."

Hermione's eyes briefly glazed over as she imaged what kinds of books that Harry had at his disposal. "Lucky bastard," she said quietly with a grin and turned towards Remus. "Hello Professor Lupin, it is nice to see you again." She glanced at her watch. "Oh, the reading is going to start soon, we better get inside." Hermione turned and began to walk to the bank with Harry.

"Hello Dr. Granger," Harry said as the woman joined the group. "It's nice to see you again."

Emma Granger smiled at Harry. "Like wise Harry."

As they approached the doors of Gringotts, a slightly disheveled Fudge walked out. As soon as he saw Harry, his eyes went wide in anger. "You," Fudge nearly yelled.

Harry smiled. "Yes me," he said as he slightly tilted his head. "Ah, poor little Fudge got thrown out of his job. I wish I could have been there to see it," Harry said with a dreamy tone. Suddenly his eyes narrowed. "How I wish it was me who threw you out onto your fat, power hungry ass. Do you have any idea how much you helped Voldemort? You should go get branded as an honorary Death Eater Fudgie." Harry voiced had harden and was filled with malice.

Fudge's face split into a crazed sneer. "I'll kill you, you little brat!" Fudge screamed as he launched himself at Harry's throat.

Hermione was shocked at the exchange between Harry and Fudge but grew alarmed at the malevolent smile that spread across Harry's face. _It is almost like Harry is hungry for a fight_, Hermione thought as she briefly became scared of her best friend.

Harry silently cast the Iron Gauntlets spell as he ducked under Fudge's hands and began his counterattack. First, he delivered a left to Fudge's body that shattered a couple of ribs. He flowed from that punch to a right that broke Fudge's jaw and snapped his head to the side. This was followed by a left that crushed Fudge's nose into a bloody pulp with a sickening crunch. Harry finished Fudge off with a solid right uppercut to the chin that broke a couple of teeth and knocked Fudge out. Fudge fell to ground as a trickle of blood began to fall from his mouth. It had been five seconds since Fudge had lunged at Harry.

Harry canceled the spell on his hands and cracked his knuckles. "That felt good," he said aloud. He felt a couple of pairs of eyes on him and looked up to see the shocked faces of Remus, Hermione, and Emma Granger. "What? He threatened my life. I used what I deemed the required amount of force to defend myself," he said before turning and walking into the bank. As soon as his back was to the trio, Harry broke out into a massive smirk. _Man that felt good._ _Maybe I should send Fudge a gift for giving me valid ground to beat the shit out of him_, he thought with a laugh.

Remus looked at the two women sighed, and began walking into Gringotts. He decided to try to take the women's minds from the scene that just occurred. "Hermione, have you heard about the Weasleys?" Remus asked and got a worried look from Hermione that showed she didn't know. "Molly, Ginny, and Ron were killed by Inferi that were led by Percy."

Hermione's eyes and mouth went wide. "Percy betrayed his own family? I don't know what's worse, him being a traitor or him setting Inferi on them. That must have been brutal. Does Harry know?" Hermione asked.

Remus nodded. "Yes but I would advise you to let him bring it up if he wants to talk about it," Remus said, not wanting to elaborate on Harry's reaction to the news. _What has happened to Harry? That attack was not just self-defense,_ Remus thought as he walked through the silver doors of Gringotts. He saw Harry speaking with a goblin who sat behind the long counter. They saw the goblin nod and point towards one of the rooms off the main hall. Harry looked back at them and waved them over.

"Come on, they are about to start. Apparently there are a couple of other people named in the will," Harry said as the trio walked up to him.

Harry turned and began walking towards the room the goblin pointed to. When he opened the door, Harry paused. Remus and the Grangers felt the air tense around Harry with palpable hatred. Remus saw Harry's face tense up, trying to keep the intense hatred that someone was causing him to feel from his face.

"What the hell are you doing here Snivellus?" Harry snarled.

Remus tensed up too and walked quickly to the door. Over Harry's shoulder, he saw the familiar hooked nose and greasy hair of Severus Snape before taking in Dumbledore, Narcissa Malfoy, and a goblin who sat behind a desk. "Good question Harry," Remus said evenly. "He would have no reason to be here unless he was named in the will."

Snape glared at the new arrivals. "Address your professor with respect Potter!" Snape snapped.

Harry scoffed. "Screw you Snivellus. I'll address you as I see fit. In my eyes, you don't merit much respect, your only talents being playing with potions, bullying people smaller than yourself, and abusing your power as a professor. Now tell me why you are here you worthless piece of shit," Harry said, contempt dripping from his voice.

"Harry, Professor Snape was named in Sirius' will. He, like the rest of us, received a summons from Gringotts. A wizard cannot ignore a summons from Gringotts, particularly if it deals with another person's will. A wizard's will is a powerful magic 

document that cannot be overridden no matter what. He has no choice but to be here," Dumbledore said in a calm voice.

The goblin at the head of the room cleared his voice. "Excuse me gentlemen, but we need to get started. Mr. Potter, you are the primary beneficiary of the will in question so please take the seat closest to me," the goblin said, gesturing toward an empty seat. "The rest of those coming in. please sit wherever there is an empty seat."

Harry cast one last look of loathing towards Snape before moving towards the seat. As he approached the front of the room, he saw a piece of paper on the desk that bore Sirius' handwriting. Taking a quick calming breath, Harry sat down and waited for the reading to start.

The goblin took out a sheet of parchment and touched it with his right index finger. The parchment began to glow gold. "The reading of the will of Sirius Black will now commence. The date is the July 4, in the year 1997. Executing the will is goblin Elfric. People present are Harry James Potter, Narcissa Malfoy, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore, Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, Dr. Emma Jane Granger, and Hermione Jane Granger," Elfric finished and removed his finger from the parchment, which stopped glowing.

After moving the sheet to the side, the goblin centered the piece of parchment that had Sirius' handwriting on it and tapped it with another finger. It started giving off a silver glow. A silver liquid began to puddle on the paper before floating into the air and formed a sphere. After floating for a few seconds, the silver sphere morphed into Sirius' head with fantastic detail.

"Hmm, silver just isn't Sirius' color," Harry said with a smile. Remus, Dumbledore, and Hermione all gave small chuckles.

"Harry, I bet that Sirius might have been disappointed if someone hadn't made that observation," Remus said with a small smile.

"Alright, enough of the jokes at the expense of the dead," the head of Sirius said with a smile.

"I told you he was expecting a joke or two," Remus said with a laugh.

"Anyways, if this head of mine is speaking then it means that I can no longer prank any of you anymore because I am dead, or something. I have a feeling that it was in all likelihood my fault that I am pushing up daisies. Maybe I screwed up fighting or just went home with the wrong witch, the bottom line is I am no longer around and that means I get to give away stuff that belongs to the Black family in a way that will make my parents scream in their graves," the head flippantly said.

Harry smiled broadly at Sirius' words and unknowingly gave others in the room hope that he was coping well with Sirius' death.

"So, to the person who no one thought would ever be in my will, Snivellus, I leave something that could never be measured, ever. I leave you, you overgrown bat, my contempt. I hope you have a horrible life and that you will die knowing what an insufferable loser you are. Now get the hell out of here. I will continue once you have left."

"You heard him Snivellus," Harry said, "Get the hell out of here."

"Gladly," Snape said as he stood up and was off with a swish in a swish of robes.

"Now that Snivellus is gone, I have to deal with the person who represents the Black family. I am guessing that it is Narcissa since her husband is most likely in Azkaban. I thankfully haven't seen you in awhile and was wondering if you still wear the look that makes you look like you have something foul smelling under your nose?" The head of Sirius asked with an innocent look. "Well, that is what I leave to you is, that little insult. Now, if you please, remove yourself from the room so you won't bother my friends anymore."

Harry laughed hard as he saw Narcissa eyes go wide with fury before she stormed out. "Sirius said he couldn't pull anymore pranks since he died but he just proved himself wrong. Well done Sirius," he said.

The Sirius' head shook itself before continuing. "I image at this point, Remus is smiling broadly with memories of Marauder exploits, and Albus is wondering how he and Hogwarts survive us." Harry heard to soft chuckles at this. "Anyways, now it is truly time to give stuff away.

"The Black family has an extensive library. So, to Albus and Hermione, I leave the books. Albus, as you could guess, some of those books should be kept out of the hands of almost anybody so please divide the books. The safe ones go to Hermione, one of the smartest witches I have ever met. I hope you enjoy them," the head said with a soft smile. Harry glanced over his shoulder and saw Hermione bouncing in her chair.

"To my good friends Remus Lupin, I leave one million Galleons. You are a good man who has been dealt a horrible hand for life. The Galleons are the least I could do for you. Live a long and happy life my friend," Sirius' head said in a quiet voice before brightening up slightly. "However, in return for these Galleons, you have to give those Weasley twins ideas for their company because as good as they are, they aren't up to our Marauder level. Show them how pros make mischief."

Harry glanced over at Remus and saw him swallow hard before nodding. Harry could tell that Remus was close to tears. Harry turned back to the head and found it looking at him.

"To my godson Harry, I leave everything else. The Black family's fortune is one of the largest in the magical world. You won't need to work for the rest of your life, which had better be a _very_ long one. A life that is filled with a wife and a couple of kids that Remus can corrupt in my stead.

"Since I am also your guardian Harry, I am able to help you in a way no one else can. I know how much that you hate being handled. I am the same way. Therefore, I am emancipating you, freeing you from everyone's control. You are now in charge of your life. The only place you aren't completely master of your own destiny is at Hogwarts but I suggest that you follow my example and don't listen to those Professors too much. Learn from them but don't follow them blindly. You have a great mind so use it.

"However, while you do have a great mind, you don't have a lot of experience with life just yet, even with all that you have been through. So listen to people who do have more experience with life, particularly Remus. I'll pause for a moment before to give you time to absorb what I just said," the head said before going still.

Harry sat for a while, his face expressionless. The other people watched him breathe at a slow pace. After a few minutes, Harry turned to Remus. "Remus?" he asked.

Remus gave a faint smile. "Yes Harry?"

"Do you think you're up to the task that Sirius just gave you?"

Remus' smile grew a little. "It would be my pleasure Harry."

Harry gave a small smile. "Thanks."

"I think I gave enough time for some soul searching," the head of Sirius said. "Now, to wrap up this will, I will leave Harry with some advice about the fairer sex. This is very important to know. You must remember it and pass it along to other guys if they don't already know it." The head paused a bit. Everyone in the room was leaning forward, eager to hear what sage advice Sirius was about to bestow upon Harry.

"The advice that you must follow is—date 'em all," said the head.

Remus and Dumbledore nearly fell out of their chairs with laughter. Harry was left with an expression that was a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

The head had started smiling again. "Of course, you might end up like James. He had one or two dates before he fell for Lily and began to make a total ass out of himself for the next couple of years.

"Harry, girls can drive you past the limits of sanity, even indirectly. Just ask Remus what we had to go through with James. He was damn so annoying. Anyways, that 

is why you should date 'em all. It will give you a thicker skin so you can put up with them. However, you should also keep in mind the talk we had over Christmas about little Harrys. That can more than make up for the insanity." The head said with a wink and a Cheshire cat-like smile.

"You had to include the little Harrys talk, didn't you? You bastard," Harry said with a chuckle, blushing madly. He could feel the other people's eyes boring into his back, barely containing their chuckles. "Let it out you guys or you might burst." Harry was relieved that although he heard four different chuckles, the others were considerate enough to keep them quiet.

"Sorry Harry," Hermione said. "'Little Harrys talk' is just too funny."

The head suddenly got a serious expression. "Harry, I wish I could have been with you longer. Despite what Molly said, I know you aren't James. You are Harry, a perfect blend of James and Lily. You are your own person with your own life. Live it and enjoy it. I'll see you again, sometime. I love you," the head said as it slowly disappeared.

The goblin Elfric now stood up. "That concludes this will reading."

"Excuse me, where can I make out a will?" Harry asked.

"We can handle that right now Mr. Potter."

Harry gave a small smile of gratitude. "Thanks." He turned towards the others. "Could you wait outside for me if you want to talk? This shouldn't take very long." The others nodded and left the room.

Once they had left the room, Remus turned to the others and said, "Leave it to Sirius to use the reading of his will to pull a couple of pranks."

"It reinforces how surprised I am that Hogwarts survived seven years of the Marauders," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I wonder who will become the next group to be the next major pranksters now that the Weasley twins are now gone from the castle."

Dumbledore sighed before looking down at Hermione. "Miss Granger, I will use the rest of today to sort through the books that the Black family owned and will forward the books that are safe for you to read. While I do trust your judgment, I believe that some of the books that the Blacks owned contain information that should be forgotten. Now, I must take my leave. Good day to you all," Dumbledore said before walking off at a quick pace.

The trio silently watched the old Professor until he disappeared through the front doors of Gringotts. Remus leaned up against a wall as he waited for Harry. About ten minutes later, Harry emerged.

"Sorry, that took a little longer then I thought it would. I had to set up a way so that I can buy stuff in Muggle stores in addition to my will and I have a lot to buy today. However, please allow me to treat you three to lunch at the Leaky Cauldron but first I have to stop at Ollivander's." Harry said before leading them off.

A few minutes later, they found themselves walking along a deserted Diagon Alley. They saw a few witches and wizards moving quickly from store to store, never spending much time outside. Harry just shook his head at this sight.

As they came to Ollivander's store, Harry said, "Wait here for me, I will only be a few minutes."

Remus, Hermione, and Emma Granger just stood, looking around as they waited for Harry.

"Ah, Professor Lupin," Hermione began.

"I'm not your professor anymore Hermione so call me Remus," Remus said.

Hermione nodded slightly. "Right, Remus, during the last war that involved Voldemort, was Diagon Alley deserted like this back then?"

Remus nodded. "Yup, it looked as dismal as it does now."

"Yes, the majority of the magical community is made of cowards," a voice said behind them. They turned and saw Harry looking around. "At least that has been my experience. The majority of witches and wizards don't realize that by acting like cowards, abandoning their usual activities, they are giving the Death Eaters even more power," Harry said disdainfully. "Let's go get some lunch."

A short time later, Harry, Remus, Hermione, and Emma Granger were sitting in a corner booth at the Leaky Cauldron, enjoying a lunch as they exchanged idle banter. Towards the end, Remus began tell tales of pranks the Marauders had pulled off during their time at Hogwarts causing the others to laugh so hard their sides hurt.

"And so James and Sirius get the bright idea to charm the suits to knock loudly on the doors of different classrooms while a class was being held. Before the professor could open the door, the suit of armor would shuffle back into place. It took the professors a week to figure out what was going on and then another couple of days to cancel the charm on all of the suits of armor," Remus said as he looked at his watch. "Oh, I have to get going. I have an errand to run for the Order. I'll see you guys later," he said before Apparating away.

Harry looked at the two Granger women. "Do you ladies have to be somewhere?" He asked.

"No, we don't," Hermione said. "We cleared the whole day for you. Why did you want to meet with me?"

Harry shook his head. "We'll talk about that later. Right now, I want to get my shopping out of the way first. The problem is that I have never really shopped for myself and was wondering if you two ladies could help me." Harry had a feeling that he was holding a large piece of meat to a hungry dragon by making the offer.

Hermione looked enthusiastically at her mom who nodded. "We would be happy to help you. What do you need to buy?"

Harry thought for a second. "Hmm, I need a new watch, some exercise equipment, new shoes, and a new wardrobe. It will be nice to have some clothes that will fit without adjusting them with magic. Well, let's go."

Harry's intuition was right. For the next three hours, he was dragged around store after store by the two women. _What is it with women and shopping?_ Harry asked himself but came up blank. He decided against asking the two women who were currently picking out dress shirts for him. They had already bought his exercise equipment, which Harry had arranged to be delivered to Mrs. Figg's house, and a CD player for the CDs that Dudley had given Harry earlier in the week. Although he doubt that he would have a chance to wear them, Harry continued to let the two women use him as a doll.

After what seemed like a couple of lifetimes, Harry was on his way out of store laden with bags of clothes. Once outside, he looked for an alley and headed towards it.

"Hey, could you guys form a wall? I am going to get rid of these bags," Harry said as he took out his wand. Once the girls had formed a wall to hide him, Harry shrunk the bags and put them in his pocket. Hermione's eyes went wide.

"What do you think you are doing Harry? You're going to get in trouble again!" Hermione whispered.

Harry smiled and said, "No, I won't get in trouble. I am free of the underage restrictions. I can Apparate legally too. Oh wait, I need to go get something. Wait here, it will only take a minute."

Hermione and her mother exchanged looks. "I wonder what he needed to get," Hermione wondered aloud and paused for a second. "And I wonder what kind of books he has been able to read. Professor Dumbledore's library must have books you can't find anywhere else." Emma just rolled her eyes.

The Granger women waited for another five minutes before Harry can back out carrying a small bag.

"All right, that takes care of shopping. Thanks for your help." Harry got nods from the Granger women. "Let's go back to the Leaky Cauldron to talk," he said motioning them back towards it.

As they entered the pub a few minutes later, Harry walked up to the counter. "Tom, can I get three butterbeers?"

"Sure thing Mr. Potter," Tom said as he handed the drinks to Harry. When Harry went to get money from his pocket to pay, Tom held up his hand. "This round and anything else you order from now on is on the house Mr. Potter."

"Are you sure? I think business is going to be slow for a while," Harry said. He always hated getting stuff for free because of his fame. "Oh and call me Harry. I hate being addressed as Mr. Potter."

"Yes, I am sure Harry. Consider it payback for me not supporting you during this last year. I believed your story that You-Know-who was back and yet I kept my silence. I consider that unforgivable and offering you free service from now on is the least I can do for you," Tom said, his eyes expressing his sincere remorse.

"Don't worry about that. If you had tried to endorse me, you probably would have lost business," Harry replied. Looking around, he leaned close to Tom and whispered, "Do you have a private room that I could use?"

Tom leaned forward too and whispered in return, "Sure do Harry. Just follow that hall all the way to the back. There is a door that leads to a secure room. Once you lock the door, the room becomes protected by ancient charms that prevent people from listening in on other people's private affairs."

"Thanks Tom," Harry said with a smile. "Come on ladies," he called over his shoulder before making his way back to the room.

Hermione and her mother looked at each other. "Is Harry always this secretive?" Emma asked her daughter as they followed Harry at a distance to keep him from over hearing their conversion.

"Yeah, he always keeps things close to the vest. He didn't have a good childhood to say the least. I don't think he ever had any affection, which he was conscious of, of any kind before his eleventh birthday when he met Hagrid. Because of this, he grew up a loner who could only rely on himself. It's hard to break a way of life after living it for ten years," Hermione responded. "I think the idea that he could be loved, or even the very idea of love itself, is foreign to Harry. It is amazing that, despite everything he had been through, he became the nicest guy I know."

_She really cares for him, _Emma thought as she looked at her daughter. She detected a hint of hurt in her daughter's voice. She guessed that Hermione really cared for 

Harry and wished that he would confide more in her. She thought this as they walked into the room where Harry was.

The women found Harry already sitting at a small round table that had three chairs around it. As they approached, Harry waved his wand and the other chairs pulled themselves out. "Please have a seat ladies," Harry gestured towards the chairs.

"Thanks Harry," Emma said as she and Hermione picked their chairs. Harry waved his wand in the opposite direction and the chairs were pushed back in.

There was an awkward silence and sipping of the buttterbeers, which Harry broke after a few minutes. "I assume Remus told you about Ron?" Harry said.

"Yeah, he told me," Hermione replied sadly.

"Shame isn't it?" At Hermione's wide eyes at Harry's stoic expression, Harry said, "Sorry but I am not going to mourn someone who wrote me off, literally. He wrote me a letter last week when I sent him the letter asking him to meet us here. I stopped reading his letter after he called me an 'attention seeking git' for the third time. I guess the danger of being the friend of Harry Potter finally outweighs the benefits of sharing the spotlight that is always on me." Harry's tone had steadily gotten colder as he talked.

Hermione slowly closed her mouth, which had gradually opened during Harry's explanation. "I kind of agree with you on Ron's betrayal," Hermione finally said after a few minutes of thought.

"And to complete this discussion, I am not real sorry about Ginny or Mrs. Weasley. And no, I don't really want to go into the reasons for me feeling that way about them except that I think they are justified. Anyways, let's get down to why I asked to me you here today. It is about the prophecy that the Voldemort wanted me to get."

"Wasn't it lost?"

"The record was but Dumbledore heard it and showed me his memory of it.

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches,_

_Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies_

_And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not_

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives_

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies...,"_

Harry reeled off the words that had been engraved into his mind.

Hermione's eyes went wide. "Does that mean what I think it means?"

Harry took a breath. "Well, if you think it means that the reason that Voldemort hunted my parents and I down was because of a prophecy that said a kid born around the same time as me was going to be able to stop him. And that it is up to me to kill the bastard then yeah, it means what you think it means," he finished with a crooked smile.

Harry had many ideas of what might happen when he told Hermione what his destiny was. I didn't expect her to jump up so quickly that she sent her chair flying before launching herself at him and enveloping him in a tight hug, burying her face in his chest. He expected even less the tears that started to dampen his shirt. As he came to his senses, Harry brought up his wand and after mouthing 'Excuse us,' to Emma with an embarrassed smile, he waved it and created a privacy sphere that encircled him and Hermione, blocking them from Emma's eyes and ears. After this, Harry brought his arms to encircle his best friend, rubbing her back with one of his hands. He turned his head so that his cheek rested on the top of her head.

"Hermione," Harry said softly.

"Damn it Harry, how can you be so cavalier about this? You just said with a smile that the fate of the entire world is on your shoulders?" Hermione sobbed into his chest, making it even more wet.

Harry sighed and said, "Because I have had a while to think about it. The reason I seemed distant after the battle at the Ministry wasn't just because of Sirius, it was because I had the prophecy running through my mind. It never left my mind."

Hermione shook her head. "That still doesn't answer my question! It has only been a couple of weeks since then and yet here you are, acting completely normal. How can you be so casual about this?"

Harry took a couple of deep breaths before answering. "I can be so calm about it because I accepted that it is my fate to be a weapon against Voldemort. I was born to kill him. Once I realized this, everything became clear. I now know what I have to do and have given myself fully to it. This is why I can be so calm."

Hermione shook her head again before moving back so that she was still on Harry's lap and glaring into his green eyes. "No, you're wrong Harry! You are not just a weapon and you weren't only born to kill Voldemort. You are Harry James Potter and if you were born to do anything then you were born to scare me death as you play Quidditch," she said with a soft tone.

Harry's chest hurt as he looked into Hermione's tear-filled brown eyes. _This is just as hard as I thought it would be_. _I am pushing away the one person whose loyalty has never wavered and tried to protect me even at the risk of me being mad at her,_ he thought. "No Hermione, playing Quidditch was just a nice side stop on the road to discovering what I really am," he said with a small shake of his head.

Hermione's lips quivered as she heard this. _There isn't any way I can talk any sense into him_, she thought sadly. "I suppose that the reason you asked to see me in person was that you were also going to say that we can't be friends anymore. That you are going to cut ties with me. That I'll never see you ever-," Hermione was babbling quietly but found herself silenced when Harry put his finger on her lips.

"Yes-," Harry said.

Hermione's eyes closed and her ears stopped working as she heard Harry say 'Yes'. Her head slowly fell forward. Even though her instincts told her this is what he planned on doing, she had a small hope that he would say that it wasn't the case. She hoped he wasn't here to sever ties with her. Her eyes popped opened as Harry's hand cupped her chin and gently lifted her head so that his could look into her eyes.

"Please let me finish," Harry asked gently. "Yes I came here to tell you that you wouldn't see me for a while but it isn't going to be forever. I know that I most likely will not attend Hogwarts again. But if I survive my fight with Voldemort, there's a chance that I'll see you again. And that's not all."

Harry dropped an arm picked up the small bag that he had brought out of the store when he had gone back in. He pulled a small box from it. Inside the box, Hermione saw a shiny platinum ring. It was plain looking but still very beautiful. Harry muttered something as he touched it with his wand before he slipped it onto her right middle finger.

"Unlike that_stultus_ Ron, I won't abandon you. I have a similar ring that I will wear. If you ever get into serious trouble, squeeze your ring by making a fist and think about me. I will hear your call for help and come to you location immediately. Wherever you are, I will Apparate to your side even if you are at Hogwarts. I can Apparate there now. With Dobby's help, I found a hole in Apparition Wards but don't tell anyone," Harry said with a smile.

Hermione's eyes showed her amazement at what Harry just said. In an effort to understand it all, she decided to ask about each item that had caught her attention.

"Wow Harry that is a lot to soak up. Let me ask couple of questions so I know I understand it all, okay? Hermione asked.

Harry gave a slight smile. "Always organized aren't you Hermione. Well, I don't want to stop your streak of understanding everything so fire away."

"Okay, first off, did you call Ron a _stultus_?" Hermione asked.

"Yup, it is Latin for oaf."

"I know what it means. What I am wondering is when did you become so fluent in Latin that you could use it to insult somebody?" Hermione asked.

"Let's just say that I learned a lot so far this summer, more than what I learned during my five years at Hogwarts, and knowing Latin was required for some of it," Harry said simply. "I really don't need to go back to Hogwarts; I have already gone far past whatever I might have learned there unless I took private lessons with Dumbledore," he added.

Hermione thought about this for a second. She briefly became irate at learning that Harry knew more than she did. "Alright, how did you manage to find a way around Apparition wards? Can you teach me how to do it?"

Harry scratched his head. "Well, I can't really teach you how to do it. It is exceptionally hard to understand the basics of the spell model for the ward let alone find the place where you could get through it. It is the most complex and confusing spell that I have ever seen. I knew, however, that it was possible though since I had seen it done with my own eyes before."

Hermione couldn't keep in her question. "When had you seen someone Apparate around Hogwarts?"

Harry smiled and his eyes gave a faint twinkle. "I had seen Dobby do it a couple of time. I figured that elves were allowed to Apparate wherever they wanted so they could better serve their masters. I called Dobby, copied his magical signature as a house elf, and used it to search through the model to find where it allowed elves to get through."

Hermione gave a low whistle. "Wow Harry, you have learned a lot. How?"

Harry shook his head. "I don't think I can or should reveal that information. I can tell you that the way I did it exhausted Dumbledore and put me in the hospital wing for a few hours." Harry tilted his head. "Believe me, it was worth it."

Hermione shook her head before moving on to the last subject. "About the ring, with it I can call you to where ever I am?"

"Yes but only call me if you find yourself in a life or death situation, unarmed and stuff. I know that cutting contact with people close to me will not protect them. Even if showered Diagon Alley with flyers saying that I hate everybody will not protect you. However, the majority of my training has to be done away from other people. And, before you ask, I'm not going to discuss how I am training. A lot of it is best that no one knows about it," Harry said evenly but his expression told Hermione not to even try to broach the subject.

Harry's expression softened after a minute. He sighed and put his hands on Hermione's shoulders as he said, "Hermione, you are the best friend that anyone could 

wish for. You have been there for me, looking out for me ever since Halloween that first year at Hogwarts. You believed me when no one else did and always tried to protect me. I cannot and will not forget everything you have done for me," Harry paused and lightly grabbed her hand that had the ring on it. "This ring and my promise to protect you if you need me is the least I could do for you. You are my best friend but we have to part ways."

Hermione sighed as tears began to fall down her cheeks. She didn't saying anything. She just tucked her head into Harry's chest and sobbed softly. Harry just held his dearest friend and allowed her to cry until she regained her composure.

"Hermione?" Harry asked a few minutes after she stopped crying.

A sob caught in Hermione's throat as she said, "Yes Harry?"

"Can you promise me something?"

Hermione sat back so that she could look into Harry's green eyes with her red-rimmed brown eyes. "I will do anything you ask me to Harry."

Harry stared right back into her eyes. "I want you to promise that no matter what happens, you will not have an active role during this war. You will try to live your life as normal as you possibly can."

Hermione's breathing paused for a second. "But-," she started to say but Harry cut her off.

"No Hermione, no buts," he said slowly shaking his head. "I know how brave you are. You have to be braver than you are smart since you were placed in Gryffindor instead of Ravenclaw in spite of you being the smartest witch of our year and one of the smartest ever to attend Hogwarts. However, this is a war that is going on now and I do not want you to have to suffer through any fights except for the battle at the Ministry. War is never a pleasant thing but I think this war will be worse than most wars that have occurred in the past."

Harry paused again as Hermione let out a sob. He softly patted her back before he continued. "I have no choice but to fight. You, on the other hand, do have a choice and I want you to choose not to fight. Now, do I have you word that you will not fight?" He asked in a firm tone.

Another sob was caught in Hermione's throat as she put her head back into Harry's chest. "Yes," she said in a barely audible voice.

Harry knew she would keep her promise but wanted to make sure. "So I have your word that you will not actively participate and will only fight Death Eaters if you are first attacked and don't have any alternative but to fight?"

"Yes, I will only defend myself," Hermione answered.

Harry sighed at the dull tone of her voice. "I know you will hate sitting on the sidelines but I need you to do it. It won't make you one hundred percent safe but it will help you avoid putting yourself into any unnecessary danger and that will put my mind at ease, helping me to fight my own battle. I have loss too many people to those monsters. You are really the last close friend I have left and I can't lose you too. So please do me this one tiny favor," Harry said in an effort to convince Hermione a little more.

Hermione just sighed and nodded. Looking up into his eyes, she said, "Fine, I will do this but in return you have to be as safe as you can be."

Harry smiled a bit. He was convinced now that Hermione would follow his request since she had made her own demand. "Well, that is settled. Now, before I take down the privacy sphere, let me do something about our physical states," he said as he took out his wand.

He first fixed Hermione's face so it wasn't red and puffy from all of her crying. Hermione gave an embarrassed smile as Harry dried his shirt where her tears had landed.

"Sorry about your shirt," Hermione said.

Harry shook his head. "Don't worry about it. It isn't anything a little magic can't fix," Harry said before he took down the privacy sphere. They found Emma Granger waiting for them with a curious expression.

"You two were in there for a while and you haven't left his lap Hermione. You didn't make out the whole time did you?" Emma asked with a sly smile.

Hermione realized the awkward situation that she and Harry shared and jumped off his lap. "Mother!" Hermione yelped in a mortified voice and blush spread to her ears. "We were just talking! Nothing else happened. If it is okay with Harry, I will tell you what we talked about later." Hermione looked at Harry. "Is it okay?"

Harry smiled and nodded. "Yes it is okay to tell her but please Dr. Granger, continue with the teasing of your daughter. I haven't seen her flush like that before and I am finding it very enjoyable."

Hermione smiled at Harry's smile in spite of his suggestion. _He looks like he used to,_ she thought.

Suddenly, Harry's head snapped in the direction of the barroom. "Shit!" he spat as he pulled his wand in front of him and stood. He waved it at the door, which turned into solid granite that was a few feet thick.

"Harry, what is it? What's happening?" Hermione asked as she pulled her wand out too.

"I just sensed four people Apparating and three Killing Curses being cast. There were four people in the bar, including Tom, when we came back. One of them must be a Death Eater who called four of their friends when they saw me come in here. They appeared and killed the other patrons and Tom. Damn, leave it to the Death Eaters to spoil a mother's time to tease her daughter," Harry said as he pulled out his mirror. "Dumbledore," he said into it.

"Harry, what can I do for you?" Dumbledore's head asked as soon as it appeared. It soon grew trouble as it saw the look in Harry's eyes. "What's happened Harry?"

"Hi Professor," Harry said in a cheerful voice that caused Hermione and her mom to look at each other. "Hermione, her mom, and I are at the secure meeting room at the Leaky Cauldron. We were having a swell time until I sensed four wizards Apparated to the main barroom and then I felt three Killing Curses being fired. There were four people, including Tom, which means there are five Death Eaters here right now. My guess is a Death Eater was in the barroom, saw me come in, and decided that he would gain Voldemort's favor by killing me. I could use an extra wand for backup. I just need you sir. The two of us can handle this scum."

"I'll be right there Harry," Dumbledore's head said before disappearing.

"Alright ladies, Dumbledore and I will take care of this," Harry said. He waved his wand and a large slab of granite appeared. "Get behind this and stay there. It will protect you for a while in case a Death Eater slips by the Professor and me."

Hermione stepped forwarded, wand held high "No Harry, I am going with you and Dumbledore. Without me, it will be two of them to one of you. The odds are against you."

Harry shook his head. "No, the odds are already far in Dumbledore's and my favor. So-," Harry suddenly stopped.

Hermione cocked her head as Harry made himself disappear with a Disillusionment Charm. A few seconds later, Dumbledore appeared in front of Hermione holding an old shoe which she guessed he had used as a Portkey.

"Where's Harry?" Dumbledore said, looking around. His question was answered as he felt a sharp pain as a wand tip pressed into his back. Looking over his shoulder, he saw nothing. "Harry?"

"Drop your wand and put your hands up!" A voice demanded and Dumbledore complied, his wand making a slight clatter as it hit the floor. "What did Harry do in your office before you told him about the Prophecy after the Ministry battle?"

Dumbledore cocked a small smile. "He destroyed it. I just finished repairing the different items."

"Correct," Harry said as he cancelled the Disillusionment Charm. He glanced at the slab of rock that used to be the door. "I haven't sensed anymore travel via Portkey or Appartation since I talked to you. Every couple of seconds I feel a Reductor being fired I figure these Death Eaters must be green since there are only five and they are coming after me without Voldemort. You and I should be able to handle them sir.

"I don't think they know where we are exactly, just that we are in one of the back rooms so they must be searching each room. I am guessing they are using the Reductors to blow the doors open," Harry said.

"I concur Harry," Dumbledore said before looking at the Granger women. "What about Ms. Granger?"

"I was handling that issue as you landed so please excuse me for a minute more," Harry said before turning back towards Hermione. "Now, you are not fighting with Dumbledore and me."

"And why is that?" Hermione asked in a tone that usually stopped the argument that she was having with Harry dead in its tracks. However, Harry eyes hardened.

"Because you made a promise," he replied coolly. "You haven't forgotten a promise you made five minutes ago, have you?"

"No, I-"

"Good. Now get behind the wall Hermione," Harry said in a low voice that left no room for argument.

Hermione sighed and walked behind the wall. As soon as she and her mother were behind it, Harry raised his wand and three more walls appeared and created a box. He heard Hermione start to pound on the walls.

"I made her promise to not to participate in the war in any way," Harry said to Dumbledore's unasked question. "Now, let's go have some fun sir. I say we Apparate to the main barroom. From there we can form a plan to take them from behind."

"A nice, simple plan," Dumbledore commented. "Simple plans tend to work more often than naught."

"Alright, let's do it," Harry said before disappearing.

He and Dumbledore landed in the main room and found the bodies of the two other patrons and Tom, who was slumped over the bar. Looking down the hall, they saw the five Death Eaters splintering doors as they searched for Harry.

"They hit this place hard and fast. Tom still has his wash rag in his hand," Harry said as he pointed at Tom's body. He waved his wand, putting up an Anti-Apparition Ward. "There, now they can't get away.

"This is a typical tactic used by the Death Eaters- surprise attacks with superior numbers," Dumbledore said.

"It is a sound tactic but it won't work on me. Now let's deal with our current problem. It shouldn't be too hard," Harry said.

"You have a plan, don't you?"

Harry turned and smiled at Dumbledore. "They came to find and fight Harry Potter, they are going to find and fight Harry Potter. However, they don't know it, but they are also going to fight Albus Dumbledore. I want you to go stand by the entrance to the hall, Disillusioned of course, and wait for me to lure them into this room then you hit them from behind."

"A solid plan Harry," Dumbledore said before he moved to his appointed position. Once there he nodded towards Harry and put a Disillusionment Charm on himself.

Harry took a breath as the Death Eaters reentered the hall before they attacked the next room. "_Accio__ Death Eater_," Harry said, pointing his wand at one of the Death Eaters.

The targeted Death Eater began flying back towards Harry. Harry waved his wand into front of him and a metal wall appeared. The flying Death Eater slammed into it headfirst with a grunt and left a large dent. A pool of blood began to spread beneath the ruined head. Harry knew the Death Eater was down for the count but exploded his head with a Reductor to make sure he didn't rise again.

"One down, four to go," Harry said to himself. Looking down the hall, he saw that the other four Death Eaters hadn't realized they had lost one of their numbers. Harry was about to call out to them but decided instead to launch the body of the dead one at the others. Waving his wand, Harry sent the dead Death Eater rocketing down the hall into one of the others. The Death Eater fell and screamed.

_One's a woman_, Harry thought, _but it isn't Bellatrix. Damn_. "Hey, shit heads! Looking for me?" Harry called to the other Death Eaters. He saw them hesitate so he prodded them a bit more. "Oh come on, you aren't scared of little old me are you?"

With a roar from one of them, the Death Eaters ran towards Harry, firing off Killing Curses as they closed in on him. Harry dodged these curses in a lazy manner, wearing a calm smile. He fired off a modified Reductor that entered a chest of one of them without injuring him but exploded a large hole in the Death Eater's back, showering the remains of his chest cavity onto the Death Eater right behind him, staining the bone white mask red.

"Two down, three to go," Harry said to Dumbledore. "They're almost here so get ready. I'll take the first one who comes in, you take the other two."

The remaining Death Eaters entered the bar to find Harry smiling, his wand pointed towards the ground."

"What are you smiling about you little shit?" The female Death Eater sneered behind her white mask.

"Well, I think stand a good chance to beat you losers. I already took down two of you," Harry said in an airy voice.

"You got lucky! Besides, it's three on one," the female Death Eater said.

"Well then, I need to give you a little lesson. First, you shouldn't have come here in the first place. Second, you should have fired spells when you got in here instead of talking. Third, it wasn't luck that killed your cohorts. And finally, it's three against two," Harry said, pointed behind them. "Professor Dumbledore, I'll take the loudmouth woman, you take the other two. I think you should try to take them alive so they can be pumped for information."

The Death Eater's looked behind them and saw a sight that all Death Eaters feared—Albus Dumbledore appearing out of thin air, wand held aloft, ready to fight. The two Harry had indicated began firing off curses while the woman turned back towards Harry.

"You'll take me? You brat!" the Death Eater spat at Harry as she raised her wand. The tip began started to glow green.

Harry yawned and flicked his wand up. The woman followed the tip of his wand flew up to the ceiling twenty feet in the air with a scream. Harry began to twirl his wand and woman began to spin like a top. Right before she vomited, Harry stopped her so the area wouldn't be sprayed in the brown and green liquid that showered the ground right below her. Her mask had flown off and landed across the room. She now looked at Harry, her eyes desperately begging for mercy.

"Do you want me to put you back on the ground?" Harry asked in a soft voice. The woman nodded emphatically. "Alright, I'll put you down."

The woman let out a sigh that turned into a scream as she shot towards the ground at a tremendous speed. She landed with a crack that echoed in the room and bounced once. Harry heard the bones in her chest splinter as she hit. He walked up to her and checked for her pulse but found none.

He turned and found the other Death Eaters unconscious and tied up at Dumbledore's feet. He looked up and found Dumbledore looking at him.

"What? She said she wanted me to put her down. She just didn't say how she wanted to be put down," he said with a shrugged. "Do you mind if you handle talking to the Aurors. I need to run the Grangers home. That and I don't feel like talking to the press. No one needs to know what I did here except for Minister Bones but I'll tell her. No one needs to know that I killed those three."

"The Ministry will find out that you were here and someone will leak it to the press. These two will tell them," Dumbledore said, pointing at the two at his feet.

Harry shook his head as he waved his wand at the two Death Eaters. "There, they will now say that they came here looking for me but I called you and someone else to help me. They didn't see who the other person was because that person had his hood up. That person is the one who killed the other three while you took care of these two. That's their story.

"Your story is that you came to help me and were joined by someone you don't know. You didn't attack because he said that I called him. After you sent me away, you and he fought the Death Eaters. The only things you know about the person is that he asked you to call them the Wraith and that he had a phoenix with bloody talons tattooed on his hands. That's a good story don't you think so sir?"

Dumbledore stared at Harry with unreadable eyes. "Fine, I will go along with that story."

"I mainly want to protect my level of skill from the public. My calling you and someone else to protect me will make me look weak. That will embolden our enemies and give them a false sense of superiority that one of their main enemies is so helpless. However, they will also have to expend resources to find out who was the wizard who easily took out three Death Eaters." Harry elaborated.

Dumbledore sighed. "Yes, you have a good point," he said, the reluctance clear in his voice. "Harry, how you fought was very brutal. You know you fought like a Death Eater, right?"

Harry shrugged. "Now they will know what it feels like to be hunted. They dug their graves when they took the Mark. Now, if you will excuse me, I need to return the Granger women to their home," Harry said and began to walk back to the meeting room. He lazily waved his wand and dissolved the Anti- Apparition. "Talk to you later sir."

Dumbledore just stared after Harry.

Harry was trying to stifle a yawn when he felt it.

"Oh shit, Professor, I feel eight more wizards Apparating!" Harry yelled just before eight loud cracks echoed through the Leaky Cauldron. Looking around, he saw eight newly arrived Death Eaters. "Ah hell, I should've known it wouldn't be that easy," Harry said to himself as he began dodging Killing Curses.

Harry saw out of the corner of his eye an open room and he dove for it. He recast the Anti-Apparition ward mid-flight. As he was about to land, a curse hit the wood in front of his face. Harry pricks of pain across his face and neck as his dive took him through the shower of splinters.

"Kill everyone here!" A malevolent voice yelled.

"I know that voice," Harry said as he conjured a mirror. "It's Bagman! That son-of-bitch really was a Death Eater," he said through clenched teeth as he stuck the mirror around the doorframe. He saw four Death Eaters battling Dumbledore and the other four running towards his position. One lifted a wand and blasted the mirror from Harry's hand. Harry cursed as fragments of the mirror bloodied his left hand.

"You three keep that one pinned down," one of the Death Eaters near Harry said. "I see a slab of rock where there should be a door. Potter or someone important must be in there. Let's make this quick, I don't think those four can hold Dumbledore down for long."

_They must not have gotten a good look at me, _Harry thought as he saw a Death Eater sprint past the room where Hermione and her mom were held up. _That rock will hold for about five minutes or so._ _Shit!_ Harry thought as he saw in his mind's eye that the doorway was secure but the walls next to it were still wood. Picturing the walls in his mind, he waved his wand and turned them into granite too.

Harry tried to peek around the corner but a spell flew inches in front of his face. He sat back, breathing heavily as he tried to think up a plan but the image of the Death Eater working on breaking through the granite kept intruding, preventing him from coming up with a plan.

"Alright, calm down Potter," Harry whispered to himself. "You can't help anybody if you are so worked up." Taking a deep breath, he cleared his mind. A few seconds later, a smile crossed his lips. "It seems I am not the only one forgetting that this place has wooden walls."

Harry quickly conjured an arm that looked his and stuck it around the corner, pulling it back just in time to watch a sickly green Killing Curse fly-by.

"Now that they are expecting me to try to make a move around the corner, I can figure out where those three are," Harry said as he closed his eyes, using a little know power of the _Intenus Aestimare_ to seek out their magical signatures. "There you are," he said as he quietly moved opposite of them. The signatures showed that they were in a triangular formation with two up front and one behind them. "He might be a brand new Death Eater," Harry thought aloud as he saw the man's wand shaking slightly.

Harry stepped back a few feet from the thin wall that separated him from the Death Eaters and fired an extra strong Reductor at the wall. The curse hit the wall and blasted a massive hole that Harry could easily fit through. He saw that the spell hadn't lost all of its energy after hitting the wall. After passing through, it had hit one of the Death Eaters and completely blown out the man's abdomen. Bits of his internal organs covered a Death Eater standing next to him. The new Death Eater standing behind them saw the mess and ripped off his mask seconds before he emptied his stomach contents. Harry saw that it was Flint, the former captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team.

The other Death Eater facing Harry wasn't as green. He promptly turned and began firing off curses at Harry. Harry quickly crouched and leaped forward, covering the ground between and the veteran Death Eater quickly.

"_Tri Flagelli Flacis_," Harry said. Three thin, widely spaced, blue streaks appeared at Harry's wand tip as he whipped it horizontally towards the Death Eater. The streaks pasted through the Death Eater at his neck, the bottom of his rib cage, and mid thigh. The Death Eater eyes went wide in surprise as the streaks passed through him. Harry quickly pushed his target in the mid-section hard. Flint retched again as he saw the body of the Death Eater fell into four separate pieces.

Harry turned at the sound. "You're pathetic Flint," he said as he slowly raised his wand. "_Petrifus Totalus__,_" Harry said calmly.

Flint's arms snapped to his sides as his legs sprang together. Flint's eyes showed his confusion as he fell forward into the large pile of vomit he had created. Harry smiled. "You're wondering why I used a curse you learned during first year in a fight like the one happening now?" Harry asked as he flipped Flint over onto his back. "Simple, I'm setting the stage for something else. You know, it's hard to think of a more painful way to die than burning to death. _Incendio_," Harry said. Flint's eyes showed panic as the fire began to consume his body.

Harry stepped back as the fire started eating Flint's flesh. "Boy, that stinks," he said, pinching his nose. He began to quickly turn towards the last Death Eater, noticing that it had been over five minutes since he had started attacking the slab of granite that Harry had put up, but ended up diving back through the hole he had created earlier. As a spell flew towards him.

"It appears the Death Eater gave up trying to get into the room. I'm kind of surprised he isn't through yet," Harry said to himself. He slowly got his feet as he had bruised his hip with the last dive.

He had just gotten to his feet when the fourth Death Eater entered the room and began firing curses, forcing Harry to throw up a couple of shields to block them. Harry then started throwing his own curses. Deciding to let this duel drag on for a bit, Harry slowed his pace a bit. However, after only a few minutes, he had started to get bored. Although he hadn't landed a curse yet, Harry knew that would change if he sped up.

"Come on, step it up a bit! I'm starting to fall asleep," Harry told the Death Eater. He hoped that the insult would make the Death Eater more aggressive and thus more of a challenge.

"Shut up!" the Death Eater screamed at him and started firing off curses at a faster rate but at the cost of being accurate.

"Damn, I guess you're getting mad only made you more pathetic. I guess that if I want a challenge from you Death Eaters, I'll have you fight you when there are two or more of you against me. On the other hand, maybe I should find some of the Inner Circle. Are any there any who are not in Azkaban besides Bellatrix? Do you know when your half-blood master is going to bust them out? I know he is going to have to at some point because there is no way he could win if he relies on a weakling like you." Harry said as he cast a spell at the Death Eater's chest breaking a couple of ribs.

"I said shut up!" The Death Eater screamed as the intense pain washed over him.

Harry's continued prodding of the Death Eater caused the man to lose accuracy as he got angrier. "If you don't calm down, you won't ever even come close to me," Harry said as he broke the Death Eater's collarbone on the left side rendering that arm useless.

To Harry's surprise, the Death Eater managed to remain on his feet. He knew that with every breath, the Death Eater aggravated the broken bones which no doubt caused intense pain. Harry knew that broken collarbones and ribs were some of the most painful bones to break. Yet the Death Eater was still casting spell although at a much slower speed. Harry's scorn turned to a grudging respect.

"Could you tell me your name?' Harry asked.

"Why do you want to know?" The Death Eater responded.

"Because I want to address you with the proper respect. You aren't an average Death Eater and I think you should be elevated above most of the others. I figured calling you by your name is the least I could do." Harry answered. "We may be enemies and I may think you're no longer human because you took the Dark Mark, but I can still show you a little respect."

"It's River."

"Well River, you have my respect. I know it must be nearly impossible to keep fighting. Broken ribs and a broken collarbone are notorious for being extremely painful and yet you keep fighting, trying to delay the inevitable. In honor of your valiant yet fruitless fight, I promise to finish you off in a very special way. I am not sure if it will work but it is worth a try. However River, I first have to disarm you," Harry said, bowing his head.

Harry slashed his wand vertically at River's wand arm. A red fluttering ribbon flew from his wand and severed the arm at the shoulder and the arm dropped to the floor. River sunk to his knees, trying to hold in his sobbing at the tremendous pain.

"Please pardon the pun about 'disarming' you, it just slipped out," Harry said with a sheepish smile. "Now on to the grand finale," he said as he walked up to the Death Eater and took off the white mask and hood.

"I've done a little experimenting this summer with raw magical energy. I call it raw because I draw upon the direct magic and don't transform it into a spell. This is difficult because handling magic like that is extremely challenging because it isn't focused. I haven't practice it much so I am not sure if it will kill you but I will make you a deal. If it doesn't kill you, I'll let you live." Harry said as he waved his wand and River felt his pain disappear. "There, I took away your pain River. You won't feel a thing. That is a mercy I won't show any other Death Eater, so feel special."

Harry placed his right hand on River's head, after placing his wand in his bloody left hand. His palm was planted on River's forehead.

River watched Harry close his eyes and start to breathe deeply. Looking at the hand that tightly held his head, River saw that Harry's hand had started glowing with a silver hue. Looking back at Harry's face, he saw Harry's teeth were clenched hard, a tense grimace clouding his face. The hand on his head started to heat up and River started to smell his flesh and hair burning.

"Goodbye River," Harry said in a low voice.

With a yell, he pushed the magic that he had gathered in his hand forward. It dissolved River's skin and passed on to his skull, where it splintered the bone. When the energy reached the brain, it crushed and liquefied the soft tissue before it exploded out of the back of his head showering the wall behind him in brain matter, bone, and blood.

Harry dropped what was left of River's head. River's body hit the floor with a dull thud, the little blood and brain that remained dribbled out of the wrecked skull, and created a sick stew on the floor.

Harry fell to his knees beside the body, his breaths coming in shuddering waves. He knew that releasing magic like would tire him but not to this extent.

"Harry, what happened here?" the voice of Dumbledore asked behind him.

"It was a bit of an experiment Professor. That," Harry said, pointing towards the body of River, "Is what happens when raw magic hits a person's skull at point blank range. And this is what happens to the wizard who did it," Harry said, indicating himself. "I don't recommend it."

"What do you mean 'raw magic' Harry?" Dumbledore asked, his curiosity getting the better of him despite being in such a room that was covered in pieces of a human being.

"As you may know, the magic that you see in spells isn't magic in its natural form. Raw magic is a term I came up with to describe magic that hasn't been transformed into a spell. Are you familiar with oil?" Harry asked.

"Yes, I know a bit about it."

"Well, crude oil is what comes out of the ground. However, in this state, it isn't of much use. Therefore, it is refined into different types of fuel, like diesel and regular gas, or a variety other products. Magic goes through a similar process when you cast a spell. You could saw that my raw magic is like crude oil," Harry said as he slowly got to his feet. He still hadn't caught his breath yet.

"I have experimented a little with it but this is the first time I really used it. As destructive as it is, it's very inefficient and, as you can see, it can leave a wizard drained. Could you summon me a butterbeer? I think that will help get some of my energy back," Harry asked.

Dumbledore nodded, lifted his wand, and summon a butterbeer for Harry who took it gratefully. After popping the top off, Harry drank deeply and drained half of the bottle.

"Ah yeah, that hit the spot," Harry said as his breathing returned to normal. Looking at Dumbledore, Harry smiled. "You want a copy of my notes on raw magic, don't you sir?" he asked.

Dumbledore gave a small smile. "Yes, I would like to go over them. I have never heard of using magic like that and that's saying something. You may have found a whole new way of using magic. You at least found a new branch of study. Would you mind if I showed your notes to Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall?"

"Just keep my name out of the discussions. Say a student that you have kept in contact with forwarded you his notes. Maybe if we all survive this war, we could all sit down and discuss the topic," Harry said with a smile.

"I think that would be a very delightful and stimulating discussion," Dumbledore said with a smile.

"Well Professor, I am tired so I think it is about time I get going. I'll still take Hermione and her mom home. Could you modify the story I came up with earlier to include the additional eight Death Eaters?" Harry asked as he knelt down and closed River's eyes. He felt Dumbledore eyes on his back.

"Are you wondering why I showed that little respect to a Death Eater?" Harry asked as he turned to face his headmaster who nodded. "It doesn't quite match up with my stated beliefs about Death Eaters, does it? Well, I think that you can still show an enemy respect if they warrant it, even Death Eaters who I still consider sub-human. This one never gave up until I cut off his wand arm. Before I did that, I broke a bunch of ribs and his collarbone on the left side of his body. Despite those injuries, he kept fighting even though he knew it was futile and it cause him a great deal of pain. I think that deserves some respect to be paid to him, right?"

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "Yes, I think he deserve that little respect."

Harry looked down at River's corpse. "I also turned off his pain receptors so he died without feeling any pain. That is something a Death Eater wouldn't do." Dumbledore nodded again and Harry took a deep breath. "Well, I think it is about time for me to get out of here. Talk to you later Professor," Harry said as he dissolved the Anti-Apparition ward and began to walked away but stop.

"Professor, was that Ludo Bagman's voice I heard?" Harry asked.

"Yes, it seems that he really was a Death Eater," the Professor said in a tired voice.

Harry simply nodded and walked away in an unsteady gait. Dumbledore watched as he healed his hand and the wounds on his face and neck before pointing it at his hip after which he began walk more smoothly.

Harry tiredly waved his wand at the cracked rock that had been the door to the meeting room and turned back into a door. Upon entering the room, Harry waved his wand and the rock walls protecting Hermione and her mother disappeared. Hermione was sitting and chewing on her nails. She jumped up and ran up to him. She gave Harry a quick look over to see if he had been injured but found nothing.

Harry put a hand on her shoulder. "Relax Hermione, I'm okay. It was a piece of cake," he said. "I didn't really need Dumbledore except as a cover story. Well, that was 

his purpose before the other eight Death Eaters showed up. But still, we handled them pretty well."

"What do you mean a 'cover story'?" Hermione asked.

"I don't want people knowing how strong I am. Now, how did you two get here today?"

"My dad dropped us off at a Tube station near our house," Hermione replied. "Why?"

"Well, how about I Apparate you two home and save you the trouble of taking public transportation?" Harry asked.

"Okay," Hermione said.

"Alright, grab my sleeves and I'll have you home in a second."

The women reached out to his sleeves. The room around Hermione faded to black and she felt a pulling sensation that felt like a Portkey before she felt her feet leave the ground. The sensation lasted for a moment before it abated and her feet found solid ground. She stumbled a little as the blackness lifted, and she found herself in front of her two-story house.

"Well, I had a nice time until the Death Eaters showed up. It was nice seeing you again Dr. Granger," Harry said as he shook her hand. "Hermione will be inside in a few minutes; I feel she has something to say."

Emma looked between the two teens and nodded. "Okay. Well, it was nice seeing Harry. In the future, call me Emma," she said before turning on her heels and going inside. Harry watched her go in.

"You're wondering why I didn't let you fight today even though it would count as defending yourself. That is what you are going to ask me, isn't it?" Harry asked without turning around.

"Yes, I could have been a great help to you and the Professor," Hermione said curtly.

"Before I address that, I will tell why what happened earlier did not meet the requirements for allowing you to fight. I had you promise that you would only fight if you had no other alternative. Today you did, you had me there and later Dumbledore.

"Now, let me clarify something. You wouldn't have been a help to Dumbledore and me, you would have been in the way. You want to know why?" Harry asked, finally turning around.

Hermione's eyes narrowed in anger. "How the hell could I have been in the way of you and Dumbledore?" she demanded.

Harry blinked slowly. "You would have been in the way because you would not have gone into the fight with the ability to kill your opponent. Dumbledore and I knew that we may have to kill the Death Eaters who attack the Leaky Cauldron and I did. I killed seven Death Eaters today. Before going into any battle, you have to be ready to kill and you weren't ready to do that today. The idea of killing somebody hadn't entered your mind."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly. Harry sighed and put a hand on her shoulder.

"You still have your innocence Hermione. That's one thing I want to protect by having you sit out of this war. You have never had the intent to cause someone else severe injury. I lost my innocence during the Ministry fight when I tried to use a Cruciatus on Bellatrix after she killed Sirius. Even thought it didn't work properly, it still changed me.

"You haven't had the intent to kill anyone before and I don't want you to experience that. That is why I want you to sit out of the war. Got it?" Harry said in a soft voice.

Hermione closed her eyes and leaned into Harry's body for a hug. He granted her wish with a soft hug.

"Okay Harry, I understand," She said in a trembling voice. "Promise me again that you won't be your usual reckless self. I won't ever forgive you if you get yourself killed."

_She doesn't quite understand now but she will,_ Harry thought. "Okay, I promise to keep myself as safe as I can. I have to go now. Good--" Harry began to say goodbye but Hermione cut him off.

"No, don't say goodbye. It's too final," She said.

"Alright, how about I'll see you later?"

Hermione nodded. "That's fine. I'll see you later too." Hermione began to squeeze Harry tighter but found that she was suddenly holding empty space. "I guess with group Apparating the person who Apparates the group has to want to take the others with them," she said before she completely broke down in tears.

"Give me Voldemort over dealing with crying girls any day," Harry said to himself as he landed in his room. Yawning, he enlarged his shopping bags and began 

putting stuff away. As he was about to finish, he sensed a presence in his room. Looking around, he found a handsome tawny owl.

"Hello there, are you looking for me?" Harry asked the owl.

The owl hooted before it fluttered down to the bureau near to where Harry was standing. It held out a leg to Harry and he took the letter. Once it was relieved of it parcel, the owl fluttered out Harry open window.

"Thanks for waiting," Harry called out to it.

Harry went into his study to read the letter. Inside he found an unfamiliar feminine handwriting.

_Dear Harry,_

_Hey, it's Susan Bones! I hope that your summer has been going all right and that you are getting plenty of training done. Aunt Amelia told me that Voldemort (I can write it but can't quite say it yet) was after you for some reason and she decided to free you so you could train._

_Anyways, Auntie told me that I came up during the meeting. Thank you for all the nice things you said about me. Auntie told me to work on my Patronus because you wanted to see it on the train. And this is why I am writing you._

_I seem to have regressed a bit. I almost had a corporeal Patronus during our last D.A. meeting but now I just get an indistinct mist. I have gone over everything you told us to do but I am still stuck. So I decided to write you for suggestions. I would appreciate any help. _

_Your Friend,_

_Susan_

Harry had to shake himself. Something so conventional after a day of will readings where pranks were pulled by the person who wrote the will and killing seven Death Eaters seemed surreal. He felt as if he had suddenly been pulled back into what some people might call a "normal life." He sat back to think what he might write back.

"Ah, why the hell not," Harry said as he got out a pen and two pieces of paper. He composed a letter to Amelia on the first piece. He explained what he did and why he had Dumbledore cover up his involvement. On the second, he wrote a quick note to Susan. Harry folded and labeled the letter before he picked up his wand to so he could message Hedwig. After the blue message spell flew away from the tip of Harry's wand, Harry settled back with the book on Dark creatures that he had started while he waited for Remus.

"Even though it was only about five hours it seems like a life time ago," Harry said to himself as he turned to the section on Dementors.

Harry had been reading the book for only about thirty minutes when he heard the familiar sound of Hedwig flying into his room.

"Hedwig, I'm in the study," Harry called out. He was closing the book as the owl flew into the room and landed on the perch that Harry had conjured for her. "I got some work for you."

Hedwig gave a happy hoot. Harry cocked his head and smiled.

"Did you miss me girl? Or are you happy I have more work for you?" Harry asked as he stroked her chest feathers. "Anyways, I have two letters for you to deliver. They are both to the same address. The owl that brought me the letter that I am responding to flew off without waiting for a response," Harry paused and tied the letters to her legs. "I want you to wait for a reply and show that other owl how a proper owl behaves."

Hedwig hooted and puffed herself up at the compliment. Harry smiled and went back to his book and waited for Susan's response.

Susan was comfortably stretched out on her back, and bored to death, when she heard a tapping at the window. Heaving a sigh that she had to get up, she went to get the letter that was most likely for her aunt. Seeing the owl at the window, her eyes went wide. Standing with a dignified look on her face was a beautiful snowy owl.

"That's Harry's owl," Susan said as she stood and stared. She let out a chuckle as the owl looked at her with an annoyed look in her eyes that clearly said 'Open the window already'.

Susan walked over and opened the window for the bird. The owl gracefully flew in, landed on a held out her leg. Susan smiled as she walked over and untied the letters. She set aside the letter addressed to her aunt and began to open up the letter addressed to her when she saw Hedwig was still there.

"Why are you still here? Does Harry need a reply to his letter?" Susan asked mainly to herself but her eyes went wide when Harry's owl gave a hoot. "You can understand me?"

The owl hooted again.

"It's Hedwig, right?"

Hedwig hooted and puffed herself up.

"It figures Harry would have an owl like you. An extraordinary owl for an extraordinary wizard," Susan said as she gave Hedwig a couple of owl treats before she opened the letter.

_Dear Susan,_

_Instead of trying to figure out what might be wrong with you Patronus through letters, how I stop by on the twelfth of this month and give you a private lesson?_

_Yours truly,_

_Harry_

Susan smiled widely and grabbed a piece of paper. She wrote a quick response, folded the letter, and gave it to Hedwig.

"Thanks for waiting Hedwig," Susan said as the owl flew out the window with the letter clutched in her beak.

_Dear Harry, _

_The twelfth is fine. There is a small village near my house where we will have to meet. You won't be able to get here directly because of security wards that were put up recently. The village is called Cobb and is close to the border of Wales and England on the English side. _

_See you soon,_

_Susan_

_I could probably break through the wards but why break in when someone will open the door for me,_ Harry thought to himself. He pulled out his mirror and said "Dumbledore" into it.

The professor's head appeared in the mirror. "Oh, hello Harry. The Aurors bought the story you made up," the Professor's head said.

Harry blinked. "Really? I had forgotten about that. Well that is nice to know but I have a question that relates to teaching." Harry said. He saw the head tilt to the side a bit.

"Oh, what is your question?"

"I got a letter from Susan Bones who is, at my request, trying to get corporeal Patronus before the end of summer. I am going to her house on the twelfth to give her a lesson. Now, I want to be able to say that I know that at least one of my D.A. students could produce a corporeal Patronus in the face of a dementor," Harry replied.

"An admirable goal. How can I help?"

"The way I was taught to repel a dementor was more brutal than the way I taught the D.A. Remus had me go against a boggart that became a Dementor when it saw me."

"So you want me to get you a boggart Harry?"

"Yes, I figured that Hogwarts would probably have one somewhere. It's were Remus got the one we used," Harry said.

The head looked thoughtful for a minute. "Yes, I think we would be able to find you a boggart to use for your lesson with Ms. Bones."

"Thanks Professor," Harry said before ending the call. "Well, that's settled," he said to himself before he returned to his studies. He still wasn't sure why he was doing this private lesson but he felt, for some reason, compelled by something to do it.

Author's Notes: First off, a big thanks to White-Knights for the information about what makes a good will reading. There is also a standing thanks to Old-Crow for being my beta and finding all of the stupid mistakes I make.

I also have to credit a book I used for the Krav Maga section. It is Krav Maga by David Kahn. If I managed to pique your interest, check out this book. It costs about 16 at Borders.

I think I should also credit the movie _Troy_. I am not sure but I think the idea of showing one's enemy respect my have been born from it. I know the idea is in the movie

I also have to note that I decided to reverse my earlier decision to go by the copyright date of Order of the Phoenix and go by the books' timeline.

I do have a couple of questions for you, my dear readers. Do you think I had Dudley and Harry make-up too quickly? Also, how did you like my will scene? I am kind of proud of it. I think I did a pretty good job with it but that's just me.

To end this section of author's notes, a word about reviews left—I really consider what you suggest to make my story better and I usually end up using your suggestions in some manner.

Damn, these author's notes threatened to follow my story. They just keep pouring out of my head.


	8. Punishment and Comfort

Chapter 8

Punishment and Comfort

"I'm coming!" Hermione called out to the person who was pounding on her front door. Opening the door, she was surprised to see Harry on the other side. "Harry what are you doing here? It has only been two days since you said that you would be putting distanced between the two of us. Wait, are you really Harry?" Hermione asked suddenly, raising her wand.

"Opening the door like that is one of the reasons why I don't want you participating in the war. If I really were a Death Eater, I would have killed you the moment you opened the door. You aren't suspicious enough of people," Harry said. "Of course, if I was a Death Eater, I would probably skip knocking on your door and just blown it in or set fire to your house."

"Really? So what if I had been a Death Eater masquerading as me?" Hermione asked.

"Look down and you'll find my answer," Harry replied.

Hermione looked down and saw that Harry's wand was pointed at her pointed at her. It was at an angle that would allow a blast spell to take out most of her chest. "So you are Harry. Why are you here?" Hermione asked.

"Voldemort broke his Death Eaters out of Azkaban last night," Harry said. "They have already kill Luna, her father, Neville and his grandmother. I am guessing that the only reason that you and your parents aren't dead is that you're harder to find since you live in a Muggle area. However, I don't think it will be long before you are found. I'm going to move you and your parents to Grimmauld Place. They both are home, right?"

"Luna and Neville are dead?" Hermione asked in a quiet voice.

"Mourn later or Death Eaters will reunite you with them soon." Harry said, his voice rising in volume slightly. "I have a feeling that Voldemort might personally come to kill you so that he can throw it at me later. I am not ready to face him yet. Now, where your parents?"

Hermione blinked at the hardness of Harry's voice. "Yes, they are here. They're in the living room," she said, pointing over her shoulder.

Harry said nothing as he sought out her parents. His found them sitting on a couch, reading thick books. They looked up when they heard Harry come into the room.

"Hello Harry? How are you doing?" The female Dr. Granger asked. "Oh, you can call us Emma and John so you won't get hung up on calling us both Dr. Granger." Emma saw the look on his face before asking, "What's wrong Harry?"

"The evil guy who is waging war against the established wizard community broke his most loyal followers out of our prison last night and is currently killing the kids who fought with me at the Ministry last month. I am here to move your family to a safe location. We are going to move all your stuff because when the Death Eaters find you're not here, they will burn down your house," Harry said briskly. "Do you understand?"

Both Grangers nodded. Emma took a deep breath and adopted a pensive look; John just looked bewildered.

"Good, so let's get to work. Dobby," Harry said with his eyes closed. By this time, Hermione had walked into the room carrying Crookshanks.

All of the Grangers jumped when the little elf appeared in the room with a crack. "Harry potter sir, how can Dobby help you today?" The elf squeaked.

"Dobby, you remember my friend Hermione, right?" The elf nodded vigorously. "Well, she and her family are in danger so we need to pack up all of their belongings. Then we need to put illusions on the rooms so it will look like they still live here. You pack and I'll put the illusions up, okay?" Harry said.

Dobby nervously looked at his feet. "Harry Potter sir, Dobby means no offense but Dobby would work faster doing this all by himself. When Dobby work for the Malfoys, he often put up illusions and pack the rooms."

Harry shrugged. "Sure, that is fine. Start in the entrance hall. Here are some trunks you can use," Harry said as he handed over some miniaturized trunks. The little elf moved off to work.

"Harry, why do you want to make it seem like we still live here?" Hermione asked.

Harry turned towards Hermione and gave a malicious smile. "So I can set a nasty little welcome gift for Death Eaters. I may not fight the Death Eaters here but that doesn't mean that they are going to attack and leave unscathed."

Hermione's parents unconsciously stepped back. They had never seen a smile that was so malevolent on anybody let alone on a fifteen-year-old boy. Harry noticed this out of the corner of his eye. He gave high five in his mind. _Nice, I can scare normal people with this smile_, Harry thought to himself.

Hermione saw the smile and felt the hate that radiated from it. She began to see how the war had already begun to change Harry. Her shoulders slumped as he began wondering if Harry would ever return to the Harry that she knew and loved.

Dobby appeared. "Harry Potter sir, Dobby is finished." He held out the miniature trunks out to Harry who took them.

"Wow Dobby, you really do work quicker without me. We didn't even notice you work in here." Harry said with a smile.

"A proper house elf is never seen or heard when they is working," Dobby said.

Harry knelt down and looked Dobby in the eyes. "Thank you Dobby, this was an even bigger help to me than anything you have done for me in the past." Dobby jumped at Harry and wrapped his arms around Harry's neck. "Oh, Dobby, you're choking me," Harry gasped. The elf loosened his arms and dropped back to the floor. "I'll take it from here Dobby. You can return to Hogwarts."

Dobby gave a bow to Harry before giving one to Hermione and her parents. He then disappeared with a crack.

After the elf disappeared, Harry took out his wand. Closing his eyes, he began to turn in a circle and move his wand as if he were erasing a blackboard. After turning around a couple of times, Harry stopped moving his wand and opened his eyes. He could Hermione was dying to ask him what he had just done. "Yes Hermione?" he asked.

"What did you just do?" Hermione asked.

"Ah, you are always seeking knowledge. I was just reducing the magic in the house. Some wizards can feel magic. Dobby just left a lot of excess magic around your house and if a wizard who could feel magic, which I am sure Voldemort can, they would know that a lot of magic of some kind was done here. That would tip Voldemort that this might be a trap. Speaking of the trap, it needs to be set," Harry said as he moved towards the entrance hall with Hermione and her parents in tow.

Harry surveyed the entrance hall once he got there. "Good, long and narrow, perfect for my trap," he said as he took a bag out of his pocket and resized it. From it he took a length of wire and several curved black boxes. On one side they had in big letters FRONT TOWARDS ENEMY. He attached them in a row to the ceiling before running the wire from the boxes, down the wall and across it at a low height.

"Harry, what are you doing?" Hermione asked. "What are those things on the ceiling?"

"Those are called Claymore Mines. I liberated some from a Royal Army armory the other day," Harry said calmly as he checked his trap.

"What do they do?" Hermione asked in a hesitant voice.

"They are Anti-Personal mines. Each contains seven hundred steel balls that are about the size of a large marble. You could say that they are basically big shotguns. The optimal killing range for them is 165 feet. The balls spread out in a 60-degree fan shape. Anything living thing under them will be shredded and cease to live. I set the trip wire far in so that many Death Eaters will be in the blast area when the mines go boom." Harry said with a smile. "Actually, the way I set them is outlawed by an international treaty but who cares? Well, I don't want to be around when they blow up so are you ready to go?"

"Hermione, Emma, can I talk to you?" John said. Once he had them away from Harry, he said, "I'm not going anywhere with that psycho. Get him out of here! How could you let him into our home Hermione?"

"Dad, Harry would not do anything to harm me or you two. He is very protective of his friends. He is still the same Harry I have told you about for the past five years." At her father's narrowed eyes, she added, "He is the same Harry with a few changes."

"Dear, I trust him too," Emma said. "He won't do us any harm."

"Dad, he would give his life if it would save us. He is already doing that to a certain extent. Harry has basically given up any future he could have had in an effort to fight Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He has effectively dropped out of school. You can trust him," Hermione said, barely holding back her tears.

John looked at the two women in front of him and sighed. "Fine, I'll go along with you two."

The three of them headed back to Harry. They found him leaning against the wall.

"So, are you done doubting me John?" Harry asked, fixing John in a piercing glare.

As John's eyes met Harry's green, his blood turned cold. He felt his hands start to shake slightly, his breath was caught in his throat, and his stomach clenched. John never knew that a stare could cause him to feel such terror.

Hermione saw her father shrivel with fear. She wasn't sure if it Harry had cast a spell on her dad but she knew that he could not bear it for much longer. "Harry," she said, hoping that it would advert Harry's attention from her father. Harry slowly turned his head and blinked. For a split second before he blinked, Hermione began to feel the same fear as she saw the blazing green eyes. After she shook her head, she checked her father and saw him visibly slump and start to breathe hard.

"What's up Hermione?" Harry asked slowly.

"Are you finished setting your trap? If you are then we should leave." Hermione said evenly. She was happy that Harry had apparently calmed down a bit.

"I just want to cast a spell that will alert me when the mines are triggered," Harry said before waving his wand. "There, now let's leave before the Death Eaters make their appearance." Harry resized one of the trunks and said, "_Portus Furtum_."

Hermione's eyes widened slightly as the trunk turned blue and shuddered. "Harry…" she began.

"Yes Hermione, I can create Portkeys. The spell I just used to create it was a modified version that I designed. It hides the Portkey's existence from the Ministry. Now, everyone hold onto the trunk." Harry turned his eyes towards John. John began to breathe hard but calmed when he saw the fire was simmering instead of raging as it was before. "Nothing bad will happen to you John. You'll feel a jerk behind your navel then lots of wind. You won't get hurt unless you fall on something when we land. Alright, let's going," Harry said as he tapped the trunk with his wand.

Moment's later they found themselves standing in the entrance hall of number twelve Grimmauld Place. Hermione dropped Crookshanks. They watched ginger cat disappear around a corner.

"Harry, what else did you modify about the Portkey spell? That was much smoother than a normal Portkey trip," Hermione asked.

"Well, I…," Harry began but was drowned out by the screaming of Mrs. Black's portrait. He looked around and saw that John had knocked over the troll leg that always tripped Tonks. "Damn it," Harry yelled as Mrs. Black woke up the other portraits. "That's enough," he said as he took out both of his wands.

For the next five minute, Hermione's beliefs of how wands could be used were shattered. She watched as Harry incinerated the troll leg before he started walking down the hall. Hermione watched as Harry used both of his wands at the same time. He fired them simultaneously, sometimes using two different spells.

When the portraits realized that someone was destroying their fellow pictures, they began to scream in terror rather than hate as they had before Harry had begun his walk of destruction. Harry continued blowing the pictures up or incinerating them. While walking, he only paused to put out fires that had spread to the walls.

When Harry reached the still screaming Mrs. Black, Hermione saw him pause. She tried to understand his expression but found it unreadable: he just stared at the screaming picture. Hermione began to walk towards Harry but stopped when she was still a few feet away from him.

After a few minutes of staring at the painting, Harry finally spoke. "Mrs. Black, my name Harry Potter. Perhaps you have heard of me?"

Hermione was surprised when the painting stopped shouting incoherently and instead spoke eloquently towards Harry.

"Yes, I have heard of you. You're a half-blood, nothing special. What are you doing in my house?" Mrs. Black spat.

"This is your house?" Harry asked.

"Yes, this is my house so get your worthless half-blood self out of here!"

Harry's flat affect finally changed into a smirk. "No, this is my house. Sirius left it to me in his will. Since this is my house, I have a say into how it is decorated. I don't want a picture of an ugly, haughty, pure-blood bitch on my wall. I created a special spell to get rid of you." Harry lifted his wands and growled, "_Globulus_ _de Ignis_."

Two large balls of fire rose from Harry's wands. They swirled in the air before Harry flicked his wands toward the obscene painting. The fireballs hit the bottom of the painting and slowly ate the painting. Mrs. Black began to howl in pain as the fire gradually worked its way up her body. Five minutes later, Harry's fire finally silenced Mrs. Black.

"Ball of Fire," Hermione said to herself. Her brain had translated immediately Harry's Latin despite being transfixed by the results.

"That was for you Sirius," Harry said as he put of the fire that had spread to the rest of the wall. Suddenly Harry pointed his one of his wands toward John. Harry's face was void of expression except for his eyes, which had narrowed.

"Harry what are you doing?" Hermione screamed.

"See! I told you he was a psycho and that we shouldn't trust him." John yelled.

"Name the power that I have that Voldemort doesn't have or understand," Harry calmly demanded.

"How the bloody hell should I know anything about your powers, boy?" John yelled back.

A feral look crossed Harry's face as John called him boy. The three Grangers shudder as they felt a brief burst of anger explode from Harry. His wand shifted slightly as he yelled, "Shut up you stupid man! _Percutere_!" A translucent black orb flew from the 

raised wand and collided with John's head. John dropped like a rag doll to the floor. Both Emma and Hermione let out screams

"Harry, what the hell is wrong with you?" Hermione screamed as she ran towards her father. "How could my dad know anything about your powers?"

"If you both would just look around, you could see that I wasn't talking to John; I was talking to the man behind him. Now, the power that I have that Voldemort doesn't have or understand" Harry said.

Hermione and her mother looked behind them. Standing a few feet behind where John was standing was Dumbledore.

"I told you that the power you have is your heart and that you can feel love," Dumbledore said in a quiet voice.

"That is correct Professor though in war love is not very useful," Harry said and lowered his wand. "I imaged that there are some questions that you want me to answer."

"Yes, I do have a couple of questions. Why are the Grangers here?" Dumbledore asked.

"I want to keep Hermione out the war as much as possible. Keeping them alive and away from any possible Death Eater attack is involved in that." Though he hid it well, Harry could tell that Dumbledore was lost. Mentally sighing, Harry clarified his reasons. "Professor, think about it. The inner circle was sprung from jail and not long after two of the three people who came to the Ministry with me and were still alive are dead. The reason Hermione wasn't killed first is that the pure-blooded Death Eaters have trouble finding people who live in a pure Muggle area."

"Okay, that answers that question. Why did you knock out Dr. Granger?" Dumbledore asked next.

"He pissed me off when I was in an excited state of mind," Harry said bluntly. "Don't worry, John will come around in a few hours," Harry said to the Granger women. He then lightly pursed his lips and glanced over his shoulder.

"Is something wrong Harry?" Dumbledore asked hurriedly

"I was just alerted that a trap I had set at Hermione's house had been tripped. That means that Death Eaters just tried to attack her and her family and my instincts were correct. I'm going to check on how well it worked in a few minutes. Anyways, I believe that your next, and last, question is why I destroyed all of the pictures. Right?" Harry asked.

"Yes, that was the last thing I was wondering about," Dumbledore replied evenly.

"Well, it is my house so I decide how it is to be decorated. I didn't care for those paintings so I took them off the walls," Harry said, shrugging. "Speaking of cleaning this house of filth, where's Kreacher?"

Harry turned when he heard a crack behind him. He saw the ugly old house elf standing a few feet away. "Ma-ma-master called for Kreacher?" Kreacher said with a foul look on his face. Harry thought that the elf looked a little nauseous as he called Harry 'Master'.

"There you are. Now, did you betray Sirius?" Harry asked evenly. Though he knew the answer, he wanted to hear it for himself.

Kreacher no longer looked like he was going to be sick. Instead, he started laughing. "Yes, I did betray that ungrateful blood-traitor," Kreacher said before he fell to the floor because he was laughing so hard.

Harry's eyes narrowed. "Hermione, Emma, please excuse us. I have some business to attend regarding Kreacher," he said before waving his wand and putting the two women and the unconscious John in a privacy sphere that block them from seeing what would happen next.

"Harry what--" Dumbledore began but was cut off by Harry.

"With all due respect Professor, stay the hell out of this," Harry said in a malevolent tone. Dumbledore was shocked at the sudden change in Harry's demeanor.

The change in Harry wasn't lost to Kreacher either. Sensing danger, he began to flee the room.

"And just where the hell do you think you are going you little shit?" Harry snarled before waving his wand.

Kreacher fell down screaming and looking towards his legs where he felt intense pain. His eyes widen when he saw bloody stumps where his legs use to be. Still screaming, he tried to crawl away.

Harry's face took on a feral look as he waved his wand again and removed Kreacher's arms. Kreacher screamed even louder as he was flipped on his back with another wave of Harry's wand.

Dumbledore's mouth hung open at Harry's cruelty. He began to look away but stopped when Harry called out to him.

"No Professor, I want you to witness what happens to traitors," Harry said violently. He began to advance on the sobbing Kreacher. "You little bastard, did you really think nothing would happen to you when you betrayed Sirius?" Harry spat and kicked Kreacher.

Kreacher flew and collided with the wall with a loud crunch that signaled his ribs shattering. Harry walked up to Kreacher and kicked him again.

"Harry, that's enough," Dumbledore said firmly.

"Yeah, your right Professor, I am tired of looking at this piece of shit. Good bye Kreacher, _Corpus Displodere Tardus_."

Kreacher began screaming louder than ever. Harry looked on calmly while Dumbledore watched in horror as Kreacher began to slowly swell in size.

"Whoa, almost time. We better put up shields Professor," Harry said a few minutes later.

"Why is that Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Well, it is about to get really messy," Harry said as he waved his and put up shields in front of him and Dumbledore.

A few seconds later, Dumbledore saw the wisdom in the shields. With one final scream Kreacher, who had swollen to the size of a soccer ball, exploded. The entire area was cover in Kreacher's blood, bones, and flesh.

"Did you really need to be so cruel?" Dumbledore asked before he waved his wand and cleaned the hall.

"You called it cruelty Professor. I called it justice served. He made a lot of people suffer, not just me," Harry said simply before waving his wand and removing the privacy sphere that covered the Grangers.

Hermione looked around as the sphere disappeared. She saw that Harry was wearing a faint smile while Dumbledore was watching Harry with a guarded expression that could mean anything. She saw no sign of Kreacher.

"Where's Kreacher Harry? Hermione asked timidly.

"Kreacher has been dealt with. You won't have to worry about him bothering you while you stay here. I'm going to go check the trap that I set at your house; I'll be back in about five minutes," Harry said before Disapparating.

Hermione turned sharply towards Dumbledore. "Professor Dumbledore, what did Harry do to Kreacher?" She asked.

"You do not want to know Ms. Granger," Dumbledore said quietly.

"Harry has lost his mind! I have never seen act so, so," Hermione broke off as she searched for an appropriate word.

"Savagely?" Dumbledore offered.

"Yes savagely, I have never seen him act so savagely. I have never seen him attack people just because they "pissed him off" as he said my father did. I have seen Harry endure a lot worse without losing his temper," Hermione finished in a quiet tone. "Can I still trust him?"

Dumbledore sighed. "Ms. Granger, I do not believe that what we saw wasn't really Harry. I have watched him closely since the beginning of summer and have notice a drastic change in his attitude. He has become recklessly impulsive in addition to his hyper-aggressive attitude. The speed that Harry is changing doesn't appear to be a natural phenomenon," Dumbledore said in a heavy voice.

"Do you have any idea as to what is causing this change in Harry? If we know the cause then we can help him," Hermione said in a hopeful tone. As she heard Dumbledore's recount his observations, Hermione felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulder. _Perhaps he isn't too far gone,_ she thought desperately. She didn't want to lose Harry.

"I have a couple of ideas as to what might be causing Harry to act so out of character. When he gets back and calms down a bit, I will talk with him. However, I am sorry but I don't believe that Harry would want me to discuss my ideas with you Ms. Granger. Harry wants to keep you safe and away from the battle and I am not sure if the discussion between the two of us would violate his wishes," Dumbledore said. "At this time, I believe we should err on the side of caution regarding Harry."

Hermione took a shuddering breath and looked down at her feet. As much as she wanted to be the one to help Harry, she felt some relief that Dumbledore was going to handle the situation. "Very well Professor Dumbledore, I will stay out of this situation unless Harry comes to me for help," Hermione said in a stiff tone. She suddenly looked up and Dumbledore saw that tears were threatening to spill from her brown eyes. "Please help him Professor. Please do whatever you can for Harry!" Hermione pleaded as a few tears ran down her cheeks.

Dumbledore gave a gentle smile to the poor girl in front of him. "Don't worry Hermione. I will do everything in my power to help Harry. I care for him just as much as you do and don't want to see him suffer," Dumbledore said softly. Hermione nodded as a 

few more tears ran down her cheeks. _Of course_, Dumbledore thought to himself, _we could offer our help to Harry but whether or not he will accept it is a whole other matter. _

A minute later Harry reappeared. "Well, I believe that I got about six Death Eaters with that trap. However," he told the two Granger women, "I am sorry to report that your home was, as I predicated, burned. I will cover the costs to reconstruct it. It can be an exact copy of the old house or a completely redesigned house. Money is no problem. At least your valuables and keepsakes were saved."

Hermione looked at Harry and saw that he seemed a bit more relaxed than before he had left. She gave a couple of small sniffles as she began to hope that Harry had returned to almost his normal self even if it was temporary.

Harry noticed the sniffle and saw the trails that her tears had left on Hermione's cheeks. "Hermione, can we talk in another room?" Harry softly asked. Hermione nodded and followed Harry into a room off the front hall.

Dumbledore felt the apprehension radiating from Hermione's mother. "Don't worry Dr. Granger, Hermione is safe with Harry. She is often his source of logic and reason for Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile. "I believe that being with her for even a short amount of time will calm Harry." Gesturing towards the comatose form of John, he said. "Let's move your husband to a bed."

--

Hermione and Harry had been sitting on a couch for a few minutes. Harry had been studying her as she examined the carpet.

"The reason you were crying was that you are worried about me, right?" Harry finally asked.

Hermione nodded and swallowed. "I've never seen you act like that Harry. Why did you attack my father?"

"As I said before, he pissed me off while I was in a highly agitated mood. He had already gotten on my nerves when he was talking to you about how I'm crazy. I had enough of that last year." Harry paused and breathed. "The final straw was when he called me 'boy'. Being called boy brings up a lot of bitter memories that I thought I had put behind me. It is what my Aunt and Uncle have always called me; it's how they refer to me most of the time, when they aren't calling me freak. They have never used my name once." As he had explained his reaction, Harry's tone had gone flat.

"Oh," Hermione said. _Yeah, that is a bit different from other times Harry has gotten angry_, Hermione thought.

"So, how are you coping with Ron's, Ginny's, Mrs. Weasley's deaths?" Harry asked, trying to direct Hermione's mind away from his state-of-mind and him in general.

Hermione shook her head. "I don't know. I guess I am still trying to wrap my head around the fact that they are dead. It doesn't seem real. It will take some time for me to accept that they are gone. However, I do know that I am angry with Ron for his betrayal. After all you have done for Ron, he just washed his hands of you."

Harry sensed that Hermione had more to say and just nodded.

"I am having a hard time managing all my feelings right now. I have had so many bombshells dropped on my head in such a short amount of time that I have a hard time even thinking. I feel lost right now Harry. You, Ron, and Ginny were my only close friends at Hogwarts. Now that Ginny and Ron are dead and you're saying that you aren't returning, I'm going to be alone there. I really feel lost Harry," Hermione finished before dissolving into tears.

Harry put an arm around her shoulder and pulled her into his chest where Hermione sobbed. He soon felt a warm wetness spreading across his shirt. Harry began to gently rock her. As he held her, Harry felt something inside him change. It felt as if something had melted. Concentrating further, Harry realized that the feeling he felt was some of the anger and hatred that had grown in his heart fade away.

Harry closed his eyes and, using a spell he had come across in an ancient book, tried to put out a calming aura around his body. At first, he didn't have any success because of his own chaotic thoughts. Although he only had limited success in calming his mind, Harry managed to start radiating what he hoped was a calming aura. He felt it working as Hermione's breathing ease from wracking sobs to gentle whimpers.

Hermione suddenly felt peaceful. The weight that had settled on her chest was slowly fading away and the lead feeling that had settled in her stomach disappeared. As she tried to figure out why she suddenly felt better, she felt the soothing calm that was radiating from Harry. As she felt her body warm in the serene feelings flowing from Harry, Hermione let out a sigh of contentment.

"Feeling better Hermione?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I am feeling a bit better. That calm aura radiating from you is a spell you learned this summer, isn't it?" Hermione asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Yes, it is spell in a category of magic is almost forgotten, probably because the spells are so difficult and most wizards don't care to learn magic that is too hard.

"They are called _Menstis Dirigere _spells, or Mind Direct spells. They are wandless spells but unlike most wandless spells you see done today, these aren't spells 

that you perform with a wand before learning how to cast them without wand. The Mind Directed spells _can't_ be cast with a wand. They require complete concentration, extreme control over your magic, and a strong will. The one I just used was the _Animi Motus Translatio_ spell," Harry said. He was glad that his plan to distract Hermione with this lesson in advanced magic was working.

"The Emotion Transfer spell? Wow, you have been busy this summer. All of these old books that Dumbledore gave you, learning all of these wildly complicated spells, modifying spells like the Portkey spell that are beyond Hogwarts," Hermione said with a dreamy look in her eyes. She shook her head. "How?" she asked in a bewildered tone as she pulled away from Harry's warm embrace.

"Well, I guess this is what happens when I finally apply myself seriously. I learned to harness and control my magic; you could say that I am more in touch with my magic.

"I also found that I have a gift when it comes to creating and modifying spells. For instance, the Portkey spell was wildly inefficient; there were a lot of excess steps in the model. My version is more streamlined, which why it is less bumpy than original, and it has the stealth feature that I designed. A lot of the old spells are like the Portkey spell, bloated with excessive steps. Well, all of them except the Killing Curse. It is actually a relatively simple model. I haven't figured out how it works exactly though. It's ironic, one of the most feared curses is one of the simplest," Harry said as he continued to analyze the situation. Something was nagging at the edge of his mind and he couldn't figure out what it was.

"Oh man, I want to read those books," Hermione said enviously.

"That's it," Harry said to himself.

Hermione cocked her head. "What's it?" She asked, slightly worried.

"I just realized something about you."

"What did you realize about me Harry?"

Harry smiled as he dried his shirt. "That you are a normal girl."

"And what does that mean?" Hermione asked in an angry tone.

Harry inwardly flinched at Hermione's smoldering look. He knew that he was potentially treading on dangerous ground but decided to push ahead. "Well, ever since we became friends, you have seen like you're superhuman. You are able to analyze any situation quickly, you have an incredible sense of empathy, and you have an incredible capacity for knowledge. The only time you have even come close to breaking down was 

during third year but that was self-induced," Harry broke off, trying to figure out where he was going with this line of thought.

"What are you trying to say?" Hermione asked.

"Give me a second, I'm getting there," Harry said. "Ah, it all kinds of boils down to that until recently you have seemed superhuman when it comes to dealing with stress. You were always my anchor the reason I kept my sanity. Think about last year. I was so damn screwed up, my mind was a mess. I don't know what would have happen if you hadn't come to stay with me over Christmas break. Despite what Ginny was saying, they weren't trying to talk with me or make sense out of what we heard over the Extendable Ears."

"I'm still not following you Harry," Hermione said.

"Yeah, I'm having a hard time following myself but I think I am getting there," Harry said with a slight smile. "Well, in the past few days, I have seen you kind of lose your composure several times."

Hermione hung her head. "I know I have. I'm sorry I haven't been stronger," she said.

Harry sensed that Hermione was coming close to crying. "You don't have anything to be sorry for Hermione. To be honest, it is a little refreshing in a way, though I am not sure how. I do know that I feel closer to you now. It's a shame that the current situation won't allow me to have fun with you," Harry said, his tone progressively getting flatter.

The two teenagers sat quietly for a few minutes.

"Harry, remember before when you stared down my dad at my house," Hermione asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Harry replied calmly. He knew that Hermione was seeking more knowledge.

"Your intimidation was enhanced through magic, wasn't it?" Hermione asked, her curiosity replacing the caution in her voice.

Harry nodded. "Yes it is called the _Metus_ _Evolvere Oculus,_ or Fear Evoking Eye spell. It is a member of the Mind Directed spells family. Another thing about these spells is they don't work on everybody. I won't be able use the _Metus_ _Evolvere Oculus_ against stronger opponents like Voldemort's inner circle unless I can somehow boost the amount of magic I can use for it. However, the _Animi Motus Translatio_ isn't hard to use on people because the people it's used on don't try and fight the effects since it is usually 

used the way I used it on you," Harry replied. A thoughtful expression appeared on Harry's face.

"What does that look mean Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Although I haven't come across something like it yet, I believe Tonks's Metamorphmagus ability is actually a Mind Directed spell that innately emerges in some wizards and witches," Harry said.

"I really wish I could read those books. Even if I couldn't use those spells, it would still be nice to know about them," Hermione said in a wishful tone. "Whoa, that sounds weird: I not being able perform a spell."

A thoughtful look appeared on Harry's face. "Want another lesson in advance magical theory?" He asked.

"Yes," Hermione said eagerly.

"A wizard doesn't need a wand to do magic. What wands do is take the magic in a person's body and focus it for a wizard. They allow the wand to direct their magic for them. They don't know it but it's how normal wizards and witches, including you, do their magic. However, if a wizard has enough magic in them, they can learn to focus and control it without a wand. It takes a lot of focus for a normal wizard to even try to magic wandlessly; they just don't have enough magic in them let alone enough control over it to properly harness it. Are you following me so far?" Harry asked. He could tell Hermione was hanging on his every word.

"Yes, please tell me more," Hermione moaned, her eyes wide.

"Well, what I just told you was the fundamental difference between magic with a wand and magic without a wand. Now I will explain to you how 'regular' wandless magic differ from the _Menstis Dirigere _spells. While doing regular magic without a wand, you can still give the incantation and picture the wand movements in your head. The fact that _Menstis Dirigere _spells can't be done through a wand and therefore have no incantation or wand movement makes them that much harder. In addition, when doing magic without a wand you can still have to direct it with your hand. However, there is another difference between _Menstis Dirigere Corpus_ spells and regular wandless magic that makes them even harder: the direction in which a person's magic flow is different." Harry stopped speaking suddenly and a small smile spread across his face. He knew that Hermione was going to start bouncing if he didn't tell her what he meant with the flow of magic.

As Harry predicated, Hermione was coming close to bouncing. "Harry, tell me! What do you mean 'the flow of magic'?" Hermione whined.

"Well, you should know that you probably won't even hear about this at Hogwarts. I bet that only Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Flitwick know about this and could discuss it properly," Harry said as he continued to tease Hermione.

"Harry…" Hermione growled as she pulled out her wand.

Harry held up his hands. "Fine, don't get your panties in a twist. Where was I? Ah, yes, the flow of magic.

"Well, as you might know, every wizard or witch is born with magic in them the center of which resides in the chest. What very few people know is that magic flows through the body to the hands. It's a constant flow that goes back and forth. The fact that it flows only to the hand is what allows the wand to focus magic. The magical core of the wand attracts the magic that is in the hands. However, with _Menstis Dirigere _spells, a person has to direct their magic _away_ from the hands. Instead, they have to focus it to another part of their body. With the _Evolvere Oculus_ spell, I focused my magic at my eyes. When I used the _Animi Motus Translatio_ spell, I directed my magic to my skin. It took a fair amount of time figuring out how to redirect my magic. There isn't a lot of literature on the topic. Do you understand Hermione? Do you have any questions?" Harry asked.

"Ah, yeah, I have two questions Harry. How exactly do these spells differ from spells like the Disillusionment Charm?" Hermione asked. "They have similar effects don't they?"

"While they might have similar effects, they are very different. First, I explain why a wizard might do the _Menstis Dirigere _spells instead of the easier ones. The Disillusionment Charm and other similar spells are derived from the _Menstiuis Dirigere_ spells. The spells related to the Disillusionment Charm (it included) are indeed simpler to cast but they suffer from the fact that they require a wand. They are incredibly difficult to cast without a wand, bordering on impossible. The _Menstis Dirigere _spells are naturally wandless and therefore can be cast at anytime.

"However, there is a bigger difference between the two in addition to the use of a wand. The _Menstis Dirigere _spells require a different type of magic. They require magic that is purer than magic done through a wand." Harry took a breath and looked to see if Hermione had any clue as to what he had just said.

Hermione just stared at Harry with a blank look. "Purer?" She asked after a minute.

"Don't worry that you don't understand it. I had to explain this to _Dumbledore._ Think of your magic as if it were oil. Before you cast a spell, it is like raw, unrefined oil that can be changed into any type of spell. Well, in order to have _Menstis Dirigere _spells work, they need magic that hasn't been tainted by the core in your wand. The latent magic in the core changes your magic from its original make-up. The magic used in 

_Menstis Dirigere _can't those impurities and work." Harry smiled. "Well, that lesson was really a couple of lessons. What's you second question?"

"How have mastered these spells in such a short amount of time?" Hermione asked, her head slightly cocked. "They sound way harder than anything you might learn at Hogwarts and it has only been a little over two weeks since we left the Hogwarts Express."

"Well, I can say that I never as diligent in my work at Hogwarts as I have been. My magic has matured as well. I am more in touch with it and can control it much better than before." Harry paused and scratched his head. "Also I have been using both magical and Muggle means to keep myself awake for days at a time. I sleep a full night every three days. Otherwise I just get one or two hours of rest." Harry paused. "Well, that's the plan that I have put into effect since I got my second wand which was two days ago."

"That is incredible Harry. In all of my books, I have never come across anything like that," Hermione said in an awed voice.

Harry looked at his watch. "Well, I need to leave soon and I believe Dumbledore wants to talk with me before I leave. When I talk to him, I'll ask him about you reading some of the books. I bet the Black library has some of them," Harry said getting. He started to walk out of room but stopped at the door. Without turning to face her, Harry said, "Hermione, I doubt that I will see you again soon. In case I don't…"

Hermione cut him off. "No Harry, don't say it. You will survive this war. You will beat Voldemort," Hermione said, tears starting to gather in her eyes.

"Hermione, that isn't for certain. Besides, there are many different levels of survival. The fact that you do not understand this concept very well is another reason you shouldn't try fighting in the war. Good-bye Hermione, thanks for all of your help and support. Remember your ring," Harry said before he walked out of the door. As he shut the door, he heard Hermione start to cry loudly. "I'm sorry Hermione. It is for your own good."

As Harry walked towards Dumbledore's magically signature, he realized that his trying to protect Hermione was similar to how Dumbledore wanted to protect him, Harry. _However, unlike what Dumbledore did, I gave her the full story. She knows a hell of a lot more than I did. Well, there is one thing she doesn't know about my plans but she has the gist and will probably figure it out, _Harry thought as he walked up to the room where Dumbledore was.

"Hey Professor, I'm guessing that you wanted to talk with me before I left. What's up?" Harry said as he entered the room.

Dumbledore looked up from his mug of hot chocolate. "Hello Harry. Yes I wanted to talk with you about what happened earlier with Dr. Granger and Kreacher," Dumbledore said calmly.

"What about them sir?" Harry asked in a guarded tone.

"Well, your actions are so out of character. While I do know that you intend to fight your battle in a brutal fashion, your actions today went beyond what I expected. I am wondering if there might be an external factor that might be inflaming your anger. You also seemed to be barely in control of yourself. I, as well as Ms. Granger, am worried about you Harry," Dumbledore said

"I am guessing that you have some suspicions about what the outside influence might be," Harry replied in a cold tone.

"Yes, I am wondering about your habits when you use the Ritual. Have you noticed any side effects or other aspects of it that we did not cover when we initially discussed the Ritual? There aren't enough records about it for me to be entirely comfortable for you using," Dumbledore said.

"Professor, _we_ decided to use it because there wasn't any other way for me to get strong enough to kill Voldemort before he destroys everything we hold dear. It has all ready saved lives and helped me dispatch a couple of Death Eaters," Harry said kindly. Harry was beginning to worry that Dumbledore might beginning to crack.

"Now, you asked me about how I use the Ritual and things I noticed? Well, I have recently gotten into a habit recently of staying awake for three days at a time. There I activate the Ritual about four times during that period. I found that it can be more potent if I am feeling a certain emotion while using it. I found that hate and anger are particularly effective. Other than that, I haven't noticed anything except that mind seems to be sharper than before," Harry said.

"Well, your mind being sharper than before I believe is due more that you are applying yourself more and are therefore using more of your brain," Dumbledore said with a slight smile before his face turned serious again. "This aspect about the Ritual being influenced by emotion is slightly troubling. I believe that it is increasing your hate and anger in an abnormal and unhealthy way. While you do feel a lot of anger (understandable given the circumstances), it is not all you are and never will be."

Harry studied Dumbledore's face and found that it showed an abnormal amount emotion for the usually stoic expression that the Professor usually wore. He also noticed that the usual twinkle was absent.

"Professor, I fully accepted the fact that fighting Voldemort the way I have chosen cost me my sanity. I know that I may end up a broken soul. I know that the way I am fighting is a double-edged sword, that it may hurt me just as much as it will hurt 

Voldemort," Harry said gently, enucleating each time he referred to himself. "Three phrases leap to mind."

"What phrases Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"One is 'nothing risked, nothing gained'. The next is 'in for a Knut, in for a Galleon'. The last is everything has an equal and opposite reaction," Harry said.

"I understand the first two phrases but what does the last one mean? I'm not familiar with it," Dumbledore said.

Harry smiled. "It's a basic law of physics, Newton's Third Law of Motion to be exact. If you hold a book, the book exerts a force equal to the amount that you are using to hold it up. I guess a good way of applying it to my situation is what goes around comes around. It is kind of what Moody expects. He put so many people in jail that he constantly expects reprisal from people. Of course it could just be Paranoid Personality Disorder," Harry said with a shrug.

Dumbledore just sighed. Harry could see the worry in Dumbledore. Harry didn't know if it was due to his increase awareness of people's feelings or if Dumbledore was just so worried that he could not help but show it.

Puzzled, Harry asked, "Professor, is there an Order meeting tonight?"

"Yes, there is a meeting tonight. Would you like to attend?"

"Yeah, I would like to attend. Will Moody, Kingsley, Tonks, and Snivellus be there?" Harry asked in a flat tone.

Dumbledore saw in Harry's eyes that he was anything but calm. "Yes, I'm sure they will be here."

"Good, good. What time is the meeting?" Harry asked.

"It is at eight o'clock," Dumbledore replied.

"Great. See you then sir," Harry said. "Sir, I am planning on living my life by the motto 'Better to die for something than to live for nothing'." Harry then Apparated away

--Arriving, Harry went to his study and sat down heavily. "Well, that was easy," Harry said sarcastically. "Now, where was I? Ah yes, I working on a way to kill Dementors," Harry said before he picked up a book and started reading.

--

Dumbledore arrived back in his office and sank in to melancholy as he sat in his chair. His usually straight shoulders were slumped. He had never felt so wretched in his life. He felt so dirty.

"The path that I am helping Harry walk is going to led to his self-destruction," Dumbledore said and felt nauseous. Ever since he used that Unforgivable on Harry, he had being feeling sick to his stomach a couple of times a day. "Why did I perform the _Utlis Discěre Ritus_ on him? I should have just tutored him," Dumbledore raged at himself.

The paintings on his walls didn't say anything as they heard Dumbledore criticize himself. The portraits watched silently, each wishing they could say something to comfort the man but knowing there wasn't anything they could say.

"Albus, I think you need to talk to his portrait. I think you need his guidance right now," Armando Dippet's portrait finally said. A few other portraits voiced approval.

"Yes, I think you are right. He is the person I need to talk to right now," Dumbledore said standing up.

The portraits saw a change in his face. It was slightly relaxed, the only sign that Dumbledore was troubled lay in his eyes but even they had regained a faint twinkle. All of the portraits breathed silent sighs of relief when they saw the twinkle, all of them except for Phineas Black's. Ever since he had heard of Sirius's death, he had been absent. A few of the other paintings felt slightly sorry for him.

Dumbledore moved from behind his desk to a small section of blank wall space. He placed his palm against it and it disappeared. Inside the hidden wall space was a platinum broom that lines of gold running the length of the shaft. As he took hold of it, a doorway to the outside opened.

"I never did like that thing," Dippet said, starring at the broom.

"That's because you were already an old man when you took over as headmaster who had no sense of adventure," Dumbledore said playfully.

After he swung his leg over the broom, Dumbledore flew out the window. Sailing up into the sky, he pointed the broom towards one of the five spires that dominated the southern part of Hogwarts. As he flew towards the western most one, a window appeared the stone wall. Dumbledore flew through the window. When he got off the broom, a case appeared to his to his right. After he placed the broom in the case, the window he had flown through closed behind him. He stood in the pitch-black room for a minute before five torches blazed to life.

A massive portrait dominated the wall opposite from where the window had appeared. A tall, regal man walked into the painting and sat in the high back chair that was in the center of the painting. His dark hair fell neatly to his shoulders and a short neatly trimmed beard sleekly framed his face. He wore a scarlet cloak that hung loosely over his broad shoulders. As he sat, he adjusted a large sword that hung on his belt. Once he was comfortable, he smiled at Dumbledore.

"Dumbledore, to what do I own the pleasure of you visit?" The man said in a deep and cheerful voice. However, his face fell as he studied Dumbledore's face. "Even though you hide it well, I can see that something clearly troubles you but I cannot image what would cause you to experience so much turmoil in your mind. Even the nuisance Voldemort has never caused you such pain. Please tell me what is troubling you."

"You're as perceptive as always Godric, although Voldemort is slightly more than a nuisance. Even you would have trouble with him." Dumbledore said. He waved his wand and a chintz chair appeared. Sitting in it, Dumbledore said, "I'm not sure where to start."

"This must be serious if you, Dumbledore, are at a loss for words," Godric Gryffindor said in a gentle tone as he adjusted his cloak. "If you unsure where to start, take a moment, gather your thoughts, and start from where you believe the trouble might have started. I am sensing that you are having misgivings about a decision that you made."

"Yes," Dumbledore said, grateful for the prompt. "One of my students has a great burden on his shoulders. A prophecy made about his birth says that he is the only person who can defeat Voldemort. The student came to me earlier this summer for help. I saw that he was incredibly angry. Actually angry is not strong enough to describe the emotion I saw. I was chilled to the bone with the fury he had in him.

"However, I had to help him because he was set on his plan and if I didn't, I would be endangering him because he wouldn't be strong enough to face Voldemort and his Death Eaters. So, I gave him a library of books, helped him get a second wand, got him a person to teach him how fight physically, and," Dumbledore paused for a breath, "and I performed the _Utlis Discěre Ritus_ on him."

Dumbledore looked up and saw that Godric's face had gone taut after Dumbledore had mentioned the Ritual. "Go on," Godric said after a minute as he leaned back in his chair.

Dumbledore flinched at the lack of emotion in Godric's voice. He felt it signaled Godric's disappointment. The quiet voice Godric used made Dumbledore feel more ashamed than if he had been yelled at.

Swallowing his shame at disappointing Godric, Dumbledore continued. "My student has been using the Ritual almost constantly since I performed it on him. He seems to have advanced to a level of magical knowledge that would rival most of the professors at Hogwarts. Indeed, unless he was given specialized lessons, the student would have no reason to continue a formal education at Hogwarts. In his studies, the student has come across a concept that I have never encountered in any text of magic," Dumbledore said with a faint tone of pride.

"However, the amount of cruelty and violence, traits that were never seen in this student before, has risen to levels that almost equal his knowledge. Earlier today he executed a house-elf whose betrayal had led to injuries to many people and the death of the student's godfather. The method he used was a spell that blew the elf up like a balloon until he exploded. It took a very potent cleaning spell to clean up the mess. Another, disturbing incident that occurred today was when the student attacked a man who said the wrong thing when the student was agitated. Before today, I would have expected at the very most a verbal retort from the student."

"In short, you are wondering if the decision to use the _Utlis Discěre Ritus_ on the student was correct," Godric summed up.

"Yes, that is part of it. Another part is that, in order to perform the _Utlis Discěre Ritus_ on the student I had to use the Imperius Curse. I feel dirty after using it on an innocent like him," Dumbledore said with a slight shiver. He looked up and saw that Godric was studying him. Not accustomed to this amount of scrutiny, Dumbledore adverted his eyes; he felt as though Godric was using Legilimency.

"Before I say anything, I would like to know the name of your student," Godric said.

Dumbledore gave a slight smile, still a bit uncomfortable under the piercing gaze of Godric's gray eyes. "Yes, you are already slightly familiar with him. It is Harry Potter, the student who pulled your sword from the sorting hat and used it to kill Salazar's basilisk."

Godric nodded. "Just being able to hold the sword is a feat that I will explain later. Now, let's talk about your use of the Imperius Curse. You said that you feel dirty having used it, right?" Godric asked gently.

"Yes, I feel…" Dumbledore began but stopped when Godric raised his hand.

"You have no reason to feel dirty Albus," Godric said with a kind smile. "You, like every human being, are vulnerable to your society's influence, in spite of your wisdom. You believe what your society has led you to believe. Before you say anything, know that I am not implying that you are not your own person with individual beliefs.

"What your culture has been saying for centuries is that your 'Unforgivable Curses' are evil and anyone who uses those spells is also evil. With the exception of the Cruciatus, that is simply fallacious. I am not faulting the views of your society since there haven't been many public cases of where the curses were use in a proper way. What determines if a curse is evil or not is the _intent_ behind the use," Godric said. "Would you say that a gun is evil because the usual end result of its use is that someone dies?"

Dumbledore shook his head. "I am beginning to see where you're going with this. No, the gun itself is not evil. People kill people. Even if a person aims, no pun intended, to kill the other person, if that person does it to save another person's life, then it's still not evil." Dumbledore paused. "Wait a minute, how do _you_ know anything about guns?"

"You think that just because I am a painting locked away in a tower that I do not know what happens in the world?" Godric asked with a smile. The smile held for a minute then dropped. "I don't know the number of times I had to use either the Killing Curse or the Imperius Curse nor do I care to count. I hated every time I had to use one. However, I never hesitated to use them because there was not any choice. Do you understand what I am saying?"

Dumbledore let out a small chuckle. "Yes, I told Harry something very similar not too long ago. I also told him that it is easier to understand what you are supposed to learn from an experience and actually using that lesson."

Godric nodded once before speaking again. "Now, let's move on to your use of _Utlis Discěre Ritus_. I am not going condemn the actual use of it. What I am disappointed in is the lack of supervision. He is not even of age and is still immature in respect to dealing with his emotions. Even with all his experience, it still does not make up for a lack of actually living.

"The fact that _Utlis Discěre Ritus_ has a strong effect on a person mind is without question. However, it is not fully controllable: the intensity of its effects cannot be managed in any accurate manner. A person can increase the intensity by focusing on a particular emotion but that in itself shows its flaw. If a person pairs it will an emotion too often, the _Ritus_ will increase the prevalence and intensity of that emotion in the person. Emotions are difficult for any adult to control. To expect a teenager to have anywhere near the same control is ludicrous," Godric finished with a shake of his head.

"Yes, you're correct Godric. However, I had to help Harry this way. I was surprise that he even thought of asking me for help," Dumbledore said.

"Explain," Godric said.

"Throughout last year, I barely said a word to Harry. I had kept him in the dark about the prophecy that concerned him and Voldemort. I am also mostly responsible for the death of Harry's last family member, his godfather. I did what I did because I wanted 

to keep a good rapport with Harry. If he is angry with me then I believe that that anger will spread to the rest of the people fighting Voldemort," Dumbledore said.

"Yes, I can see the merit in your argument. However, I was not reprimanding you for the use of the _Ritus_ on young Harry but rather the lack of supervision. However, I am sensing that Harry is not the sort of person who would kindly submit to anything that he might consider a controlling force," Godric said.

"That would be an understatement, Godric," Dumbledore said with a smile. "What were you talking about earlier about Harry using your sword?" Dumbledore asked after a minute of silence.

"Ah, that," Godric replied. "Well, it is quite simple. An evil person, someone who enjoys causing pain, would not be able to even touch it. That person's skin would burn if they touched the hilt and would continue to burn if the sword was not let go. The fact that Harry wielded it proves that his spirit is not predominately evil. The acts that you say he committed do not sound like they could be done by someone who has wielded my sword. I suspect that the _Ritus_ might be playing a part but I think there might be something more at play. Watch that boy closely Dumbledore," Godric said in firm voice, his face clouded with apprehension.

Dumbledore nodded and stood up. "Well, that's it for now. I will call on you again soon. I suspect that you, Rowena, and Helga would be very interested in what he has come across," Dumbledore said. "I think it is so important that it is unfortunate that there isn't a surviving portrait of Merlin."

Godric's eyes opened a little wider. "Really?"

"Really," Dumbledore said. Drawing himself up to his full height and putting his right fist on his chest, Dumbledore bowed toward Godric who inclined his head. As Dumbledore picked up the broom, the lights went out and the window appeared again. On the trip back to his office, Dumbledore did a couple of loops, feeling considerable better.

--

Susan looked at the calendar on her wall. "Ah, damn it," she said with a huff as she fell onto her bed. "I still have five more days until my lesson with Harry. It can get so boring around here." After letting out another huff of air, Susan sunk into thought. A worried expression crossed her face. "I hope he is okay," she said quietly to herself. "He seemed so depressed at the end of the term. And what did Auntie start to say about Harry not being able to become a professor? I can't any reason why he couldn't become one."

Letting out a sigh, Susan rolled over and started again on her Defense Against the Dark Arts homework. She noted a couple places that she might ask Harry about. Smiling at the thought of his lesson, Susan began writing.

--

Chapter 8.5

Inquisition

Lestat stood in front of the heads of the Hogwarts houses and Professor Dumbledore. He had been called to answer for not updating his story recently.

"Professors, before you start asking me questions, why did you call me here? With all due respect, I am not sure how much say you have in my story," Lestat said in a polite tone.

"While it is true that you are not a student at this school, our characters and students are in your story and that allows us to oversee the progress of your story. We have a responsibility to watch over the rights of your readers. One of those rights is that they get at least semi-regular updates. Failing that, they deserve good reasons for a lack of updates," the tiny Professor Flitwick squeaked.

"Mr. Lestat, I hope you have a good explanation as to why it took you so long to update," Dumbledore said a quiet voice. "Your readers deserve better. You are letting them down."

Lestat hung his head in shame. "You're right Professor; it had been a very long time since I updated my story. I hope my readers can accept my sincere and humble apology but I feel I have some valid reasons, sir," Lestat said, his head still hanging in shame.

"Please explain yourself then," McGonagall replied.

Lestat brought his head up. "Well sir, my classes take up a lot of my time. When I am not in class, I am either working on assignments or recovering from said assignments; they can take a lot out of me. However, that is not to say that I have not been working on my story. My pace is not very consistent," Lestat said with a slight shrug. "I like to call it 'working in sprints'."

"Oh, this is boring. I say we erase this story from his mind and give it to someone who is talented to write," Snape said curtly.

"Screw you _Snivellus. There is no way in hell you could even right a proper free-form poem let alone an entertaining story. You wouldn't know a good story it came and bit you on your ass. Why the hell are you here anyway?" Lestat spat as he glared at the revolting professor._

_"Mr. Lestat, could we…" Dumbledore began but was interrupted._

_"I am here because I am a professor of Hogwarts," Snape spat back._

_"You're a professor in name only you ugly piece of shit. You couldn't teach a piece steel to be hard," Lestat said indifferently as he looked back towards the other professors. Once his blue eyes were focused on Dumbledore, Lestat held up his middle finger to Snape. _

_"Why you little," Snape growled as he jumped at Lestat from his chair. _

_As he watched the greasy-haired professor _charge at him, Lestat smiled. _The fool didn't even think to use his wand. Not that it would have helped him_, Lestat laughed in his head.

When Snape was a few feet away, Lestat sprung forward and caught Snape's right arm and flipped him onto his back. With a grunt, Lestat broke Snape's arm at the elbow before using his wand to banish Snape into a wall. Lestat smiled as he heard the snaps that signaled broken ribs. He then saw Snape reach for his wand.

Raising his wand, Lestat said, "_Percutere_," and a translucent black orb flew from his wand and collided with Snape's head, knocking him out cold. "You're lucky you still have a role to fill in my story or I would have killed you right here and now," Lestat told the unconscious body. "I'm sorry professors, where were we?"

The other four professors were showing their surprise at the fight.

"What spell was that Mr. Lestat and where did you learn it?" McGonagall asked.

"Oh, that was a spell that Harry taught me," Lestat said simply. "You remember it from the chapter I just posted right?"

"Sorry, I did somehow forget," McGonagall said. She heard Lestat mutter something that sounded like a joke about her age but held her tongue.

"One thing I liked but wish you had not written about is the location of the Founders' portraits," Dumbledore said.

"I figured it didn't really matter since only the current Head of Hogwarts can reach them," Lestat said with another shrug.

"Are we going to see more of Ms. Bones?" Professor Sprout asked with a hopeful look on her face.

Lestat smiled back. "Of course you are going to see her; don't you remember how chapter 7 ended? Besides, I am finding that she is a lot of fun to write."

"Very well Mr. Lestat, you have satisfied us with your explanation," Dumbledore said. "I look forward to your next chapter so please finish it soon." Looking over at a corner of the hall, Dumbledore called, "Sorry Argus, you won't be able to use your whips to night."

"Say what?" Lestat stammered.

Dumbledore smiled. "I'm just kidding Mr. Lestat. Now, off to bed with you. You keep the strangest hours."

"That I do sir, that I do," Lestat said, nodding. Looking at his watch, he saw that it was almost six o'clock in the morning. "Good night Professors."

"Before we go, do you have any recommended stories that we could read while we wait for you to finish the next chapter?" McGonagall asked.

"I heartily recommend anything by lorddwar, Abraxan, or tradiferis. Of course, if you liked Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic, then you _have to_ read rangermike's stories," Lestat said and left for his warm bed.

--

Author's Notes:

A big thank you to Hahukum Konn for the feedback on Dumbledore.

The 'answering to professors' idea I got from old-crow. It is a clever idea and I decided to borrow it. However, I expanded a little on his concept. I am sorry about not updating recently. I hope you enjoyed this little intermission.

Although I am not sure if it was the source of my inspiration or not, I think it comes close enough to give credit where it is due. In the last chapter, I wrote about Harry not knowing love. I may or may not have been influenced to write that by lorddwar's excellent story "Harry Potter and the Summer of Change." If you haven't read it yet, you should.


	9. A Meeting and a Breakthrough

Chapter 9

10\17\2008 Posting: Went through and change some conversations and did some grammar editing.

--

Chapter 7

A Meeting and A Breakthrough

At 7:50 PM, Remus, Apparated into Harry's study and found the teen buried in a thick book that looked ancient. Tilting his head, Remus tried to read the title. _Invadere in et Frangere quo Mentis__?_ Remus thought. He knew it was Latin but it had been a while since he had last translated something from Latin.

"It means 'Invading and Breaking the Mind'," Harry said, startling Remus.

"Picked it up for some light reading Harry?" Remus joked. "It has been a while since I last read straight Latin. Why haven't you asked a security question of me?"

"About an hour ago, I fully matured an intent discerning power that I have developed. When I sensed you were about to appear, I also sensed you had no malicious intent towards me just a vested interest and concern. No matter how cold a killer is, they still have some arousal right before they kill. It is also how I anticipated your question about my book. Oh, to answer your other question, I got it from Dumbledore," Harry said absentmindedly.

Remus smiled and shook his head. "That's amazing Harry. However, it isn't surprising considering your parents. They both got Outstandings on all of their O.W.L. exams without studying much. So, why did you want me to come?"

"I'm going to the Order meeting tonight and need transportation," Harry said, not looking up from the book. "I don't want people to know that I can do the things I can yet."

"Sounds good," Remus said. "Well, we should get going; it is about a five minute walk from the Apparition point to the house."

"No, I created a Portkey for use to use," Harry said as he marked his place and closed the massive book. Reaching across the desk, he picked up ruler. "Hold onto this, I have to get my cloak: I don't want to reveal who I am unless I have to."

Remus watched Harry walk out of the study into his bedroom. A minute later he returned wearing a dark grey cloak. As Harry walked back into the study, he pulled the voluminous hood over his head.

"Oh, very subtle Harry," Remus observed in an amused tone.

"I'm not going for subtle. I want to create a little foreboding in people so they won't bother me," Harry said with shrug.

"Well, I don't think that is going to work Harry since Moody is going to be there tonight. You know how he is," Remus said with a smile. "However, I am guessing that you did some kind of charm that prevents that eye of his from seeing inside of your hood."

"Yup."

"Thought so."

"Before we go, what has Dumbledore told the Order about what happened at The Leaky Cauldron?" Harry asked.

Remus looked sideways at Harry. "No much beyond what was printed in the_ Prophet_. Who is that guy that you called? He's brutal."

Harry smiled slightly. "I probably will be asked that tonight at the meeting so let's wait until then. If I'm not asked, then I will tell you after the meeting. Let's go."

Harry grabbed the ruler and tapped it with his wand. A minute later, Remus and Harry stood in the entrance hall of Number 12. Remus let go of the ruler with an expression of amazement.

"What kind of Portkey was that Harry?" Remus asked.

"Later Remus," Harry said and made his way to the meeting hall.

Once inside, Harry walked away from Remus and took up a place along the wall opposite the door. There were a couple witches that Harry didn't recognize already seated. Over the next few minutes, twenty more witches and wizards trickled into the room including Tonks, Kingsley, Moody, and Snape. They all gave him looks as they took their seats. Harry noticed that Moody's hand went into his pocket where Harry suspected Moody kept his wand It seemed to Harry that the people attending tonight's Order meeting were mostly younger wizards and witches. Harry guessed that the average age was around twenty-five A few minutes after the last wizard, a young wizard with bristly black hair, Dumbledore walked in with Minister Bones. He gave a sharp look towards Harry. After a minute, Harry saw a sign of recognition in Dumbledore's eyes and looked away.

"Before we begin Dumbledore, who's the dodgy guy in the cloak? He's wearing some kind of charm that blocks my eye" Moody said, pointing his wand at Harry. "Take down your hood."

Harry closed his eyes and gathered his magic so he could radiate an intimidating aura. He sensed that people around him shift uneasily. He smiled briefly before lowering his hood. There was a collective gasp as people saw Harry's face.

"Hey Harry," Tonks called cheerfully before walking over to stand by his side. Upon seeing this, Harry dropped the magical aura. He wasn't sure why but he didn't want Tonks to feel his intimidating aura. Once Tonks reached his side, she gave Harry a one-armed hug.

Harry couldn't help but smile at the young Auror. Whenever they were sparing, she always seemed to brighten Harry mood. "Hey Tonks," Harry said and hugged her back. "Nice hair," Harry said as he saw she was wearing it long and black, like he suggested.

"Your idea," Tonks said, poking him in his side. "It's nice to be near you and not have to worry that my pretty little ass is about to be kicked," Tonks said in a whisper.

"Well, if you didn't suck so badly then you wouldn't end up needing Kingsley to stop our matches early to save your 'pretty little ass'," Harry whispered back.

"Wanker," Tonks murmured.

"Klutz," Harry hissed back.

"Headmaster, what is Potter doing here?" Snape asked; his distaste was clear in his tone. Harry's smile dropped as he heard Snape's voice.

"I spoke with Harry earlier today and he expressed interest in attending so I invited him," Dumbledore said coolly.

"And so you just agreed? With all due respect Headmaster, you give Potter far too much liberty to do as he pleases. All you will accomplish is giving him an even bigger ego," Snape said, acid dripping from each word.

"Hey Snivellus, do us all a favor and shut the hell up. Even if Professor Dumbledore hadn't given me permission that couldn't have stopped me from coming if I wanted too. This is my house you know. I don't have to let _you_ in if I don't want to," Harry said coldly.

"But don't worry; I don't want to join your Order. I'm on another team; a team that has already taken thirteen Death Eaters out of the fight permanently. On a side note regarding my friend Snivellus, you had better hope he doesn't catch you parading around in your Death Eater pajamas. I doubt he will care if you say you have changed sides. He's a good man, that Wraith," Harry finished with a cold smile.

There was utter chaos at the mention of the name "Wraith." People started yelling questions at Harry. Harry just stoically stared into Snape's eyes but began to smile when he felt a probe enter his mind. He kept smiling and leaned back. As Snape went deeper into Harry's mind, Snape's eyes began to widen.

"Three, two, one," Harry quietly counted down.

As Tonks looked at Harry, she suddenly heard a scream before a chorus of screams echoed. Looking in the direction of the scream, she saw Snape hold his face in his hands, blood gushing through his fingers and around his palms. Tonks sighed and asked, "He tried to get into your mind, didn't he Harry?"

"Yup," Harry replied.

"Going to help him?"

"Nope."

"Why?" Tonks asked. "Don't get me wrong, I don't really care. I just want to know your reasons."

"Think about it Tonks," Harry said. "If I were to help him, I would be revealing a small part of my power. It would also show that I can do magic without fear of the Ministry. I also hate the greasy bastard. I wish I could do more to hurt him but that will have to wait." Harry turned his head and looked at Dumbledore whose mouth hung open slightly at Snape's injuries. "Besides, if _I_ do it, he won't have any scars to remind him of what an ass he is."

"Oh," Tonks replied not completely understanding what made Snape an ass for trying to invade Harry's mind, but she didn't make an effort to figure it out. _The guy is a royal prick_, Tonks thought.

Harry paused a moment. "Oh yeah, on the subject of hiding my skills, I am going to say that my buddy Wraith performed that spell on me," he said after a minute. Harry knew that if he said straight out that he learned the spell from the Wraith, the two smart Aurors might figure out that he was the Wraith.

Kingsley stood transfixed at the sight of Snape holding his bloody face. _I guess this is the spell that Tonks told me about. Ouch, I'm never going into Harry's mind_, Kingsley thought. As he was thinking this, he suddenly heard Harry's voice in his head.

'_Hey Kingsley,'_ Harry's voice said, '_reading your expression tells me that that Tonks told you about that spell. Am I right?_' Kingsley nodded. '_Okay, here's the deal: Of the people here, only you, Remus, Tonks, Dumbledore, and Minister Bones know that I can do magic legally. In order to hide that fact, I am going to tell them that my friend Wrath performed that spell on me. This little lie will hide the fact that I created and performed the spell. Nod if you understand and agree.'_

Kingsley nodded slightly to show his understanding and agreement with Harry's plan.

Dumbledore glanced over at Harry and saw a faint smirk on his face. Dumbledore began to sigh but stopped midway and his eyes opened wide as he heard Harry's voice in his head.

'_Yes Professor, I am partially to blame for Snivellus's injuries, as much as a brick wall is to blame for the injuries sustained when an idiot crashes his car into it. He tried to invade my mind. Unfortunately for him, my mind is well guarded now. If you want to heal him, the best spell is the__ Cutis Renovatio__. It worked well when I used it to patch Tonks up when I tested the spell initially,' _Harry's voice said. _'If you don't treat the cut, it won't stop bleeding. Try to leave a scar as a lesson to him of invading other people's minds.'_

Harry was only partly smiling because of the injury Snape inflicted on himself. A small part of Harry was smiling because Tonks had clearly kept this spell from Dumbledore or she hadn't elaborated on it. Although he had not given any indication that he didn't want her to talk about the spell, she still had not told Dumbledore. _Thanks you Tonks for letting me keep that ace-in-the-hole, _Harry thought as unfamiliar warmth flooded his heart.

Dumbledore just stared at Harry who stared back. Wondering how Harry had passed his mental shields, Dumbledore walked over to the bleeding Snape. "Severus, let me treat you injury," Dumbledore said firmly.

When Snape's hands was pulled away from his face, Tonks saw that instead of the single cut that she had suffered, Snape had four gashes in his face. They ran from his jaw line up to his forehead.

Tonks let out a low whistle. "Harry, did you strengthen the spell since you tested it on me? The version that just hit Snape has a lot more kick than the one I got hit with," Tonks said.

"Actually, the version you encountered was a watered-down version. What Snape just encountered was the original. It was more of a proof-of-concept test when you ran into it," Harry said. "Besides, I didn't want to risk messing up that pretty little face you have there with the stronger spell," he added. Out of the corner of his eye, Harry saw a faint blush spread across Tonks's cheeks.

Tonks decided not to comment on the last statement. "So, tell me about this Wraith fellow," she whispered directly into Harry's ear.

"I will address that question later on. I will tell you one thing: don't piss him off," Harry whispered back.

"That's obvious after the story that appeared in the _Prophet_," Tonks replied

They both looked at Snape and saw that Dumbledore was finishing up. Dumbledore looked over at Harry and widened his eyes once. Harry understood the message and opened his mind slightly. '_Can we talk about your spell later Harry?' _Dumbledore voice said in Harry's head.

'_Sorry Professor, but I have to keep some secrets,'_ Harry's voice replied. _'On a side note, I expect people will want to know about the spell and my relationship to the Wraith. I would appreciate if you could tell people I will address them as best as I can at the end of the meeting.'_

Dumbledore nodded his understanding and approval. "Settle down people, settle down," he called but the noise didn't die down. Dumbledore several more times but could not get the Order members to stop talking.

Harry saw the difficulty that Dumbledore was having trying to restore order to the meeting. For some reason, he seemed reluctant to use the same methods he used to quiet students. "Hey Tonks, cover your ears," he said to the witch. He sent the same message to Minister Bones who nodded and discreetly covered her ears.

"Huh? Why Harry?" Tonks asked.

"Trust me on this," Harry said. Once he saw Tonks had plugged her ears, he began gather magic in his larynx and lungs. "SHUT UP!" Harry bellowed.

Tonks had been feeling something strange gathering in Harry. As she turned, Tonks heard Harry yell "Shut Up." Although she had her fingers plugged in her ears, she could still hear Harry voice quite clearly. She swore she could almost see the pressure waves from the force of Harry's blasting yell.

After closing his mouth, Harry turned to Tonks to signal that it was safe for her to take her fingers out of her ears. He flashed a smile before he turned to survey the room. Some people had their heads between their knees as they held their ears; some were shaking their heads to get the ringing out. A third group was staring at Harry as they rubbed their ears. However, the assault on their ears had left them all slightly disorientated and they couldn't think to question what had just happened.

"Well, they're all quiet now Professor so let's get on with the meeting," Harry said in a pleasant tone.

"Thank you Harry," Dumbledore said somewhat stiffly. Like the other Order members, he too was grimacing and shaking his head to clear the ringing from his ears. "In our discussion earlier, Harry expressed a willingness to share more information about this person calling himself the Wraith, but he said that he will address your questions at the end of the meeting. I agreed because we all could use more information about this person and Harry seems very familiar with him." There was excited whispering at this statement but it quickly died down as the people remembered Harry's yell.

"Now, as you may have noticed, Minister Bones is attending tonight's meeting. I happily acquiesced as her brother was…"

Harry stopped listening and instead focused on the room. As he eyes roamed the faces of the witches and wizards, he found most of them focused on Dumbledore. At first, Harry was surprised at this sudden change: The faces that had so eagerly looked at him minutes earlier for answers about Wraith now showed only interest in what Dumbledore was saying.

_This reminds me of a song by Marilyn Manson,_ Harry thought. _How did it go? Oh yeah: _

"And I see all the young believers,

Your target audience,

I see all the old deceivers

And we all just sing their song."

Harry shook his head. _It would be insanely cynical if it weren't so fucking true. It doesn't matter if they are Dark side or Light side: they all allow themselves to be led around like a dog on a leash. It makes me sick just thinking about it. _Harry glanced at Tonks and saw that she too wasn't listening to Dumbledore's dribble. Instead of the attentive look that everyone else was giving Dumbledore, Tonks looked bored and a bit irritated. It made Harry glad that she wasn't a mindless sheep like everyone else.

_Following and trusting a leader is one thing. Blindly following and trusting a leader thought to be infallible gets people killed, like Sirius,_ Harry thought. _Not that Sirius blindly followed anyone except my dad_, Harry quickly amended his thoughts. _Well, there is no fucking way I will _ever_ become a sheep._

"Now, what do you have to report?" Dumbledore asked the group in front of him. Harry quickly quieted his thoughts to listen to what the Order members had to report.

A blonde wizard with a neatly trimmed goatee stood up. "Recently, Muggle in the area where I live have begun avoiding the local forest. I overheard a couple of them in the local pub talking about how the forest was quickly getting a new nickname: the Depressed Forest. The few people who go near the forest report that the temperature drops quickly and they suddenly start remembering awful memories," the wizard reported. "I think the forest has become a nesting site for dementors."

"Thank you Sean, I believe you are correct in your assessment," Dumbledore said. Turning towards Bones, Dumbledore said, "Minister, I believe this information is accurate."

"I think so too. I will have the new head of the DMLE, Caleb Smith, send a few squads to investigate," Bones replied evenly yet in a firm way that prevented discussion.

Harry smiled as he read between the lines of the reply. He saw that Dumbledore understood her meaning as well as his eyes narrowed ever so slightly. _So, Minister Bones won't allow herself to be handled by Dumbledore. I'm liking her more and more_, Harry thought as a small smile played across his lips.

"Yes, thank you again for your report Sean. Does anyone else have something to report?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry had been thrilled at the information Sean provided. However, Harry's excitement soon turned to irritated disappointment. All of the subsequent reports proved to be nothing more than unsubstantiated rumors. There were even some conflicting reports where one person claimed to have seen Bellatrix before another person claimed to have seen her at the same time in a different place hundreds of miles away.

_I guess the Order isn't going to be the great source of information that I thought it would be,_ Harry thought bitterly. _Guess I'll have to gather my own intelligence. Now, how should I pass the time until they begin to question me about the Wraith?_ Harry began to retreat into his mind.

Tonks was watching Harry as the Order members reported their information. She had a feeling she knew what kind of information Harry was hoping for but save for the first report, the rest of the reports were useless trash. Tonks expect to see a mixture of boredom and irritation at the waste of his time. Tonks had noticed during their sparing sessions that Harry despised wasting time; he was always doing something. During the breaks in their spars, he had always had a pad of paper full of writing. She had never seen anyone work that hard.

However, Tonks was surprised to find that Harry didn't have an expression, that his affect was completely flat. Tonks managed to subtle maneuver herself so she could look into his eyes. She was certain that he would have some emotion in them. Tonks knew that Harry's eyes always betrayed how he felt. However, these too were also devoid of emotion. They just blankly stared.

_It's as if his mind is somewhere other than his body,_ Tonks thought. Her attention turned back to the meeting. Suddenly, she elbowed Harry.

Harry was jolted from his thoughts when he felt a sharp pain in his ribs. Slightly irate, he turned towards the direction from which the pain came. He saw Tonks smiling mischievously. "What was that for?" Harry asked in an annoyed tone.

"Well, the reports are going to end soon and you said you would answer questions at the end of the meeting. Being the good friend I am, I decided to alert you," Tonks said sweetly.

"Well, you didn't have to elbow me in the ribs to get my attention; you could have just poked me," Harry said smiling despite the pain in his side. He wasn't sure what it was but somehow the weird yet spunky Auror always made him smile. With that thought, Harry turned his attention back to the meeting.

"Thank you Dorian for your report. Is there anyone else?" Dumbledore asked, looking around the room. "No? Harry you have the floor."

Harry stepped out from the wall a couple of steps. "This is how we are going to do this. I will tell you what I can and then you can ask questions in an orderly manner. I will not tolerate any disruptions during the initial talk," he said firmly.

"And just will you do if there is a disruption?" Snape asked.

"This," Harry said as he quickly covering the distance between him and Snape.

Harry's fist shot out and connected with Snape's nose. The force of the punch rocked Snape's head back as everyone in room heard the cracking of his hook shaped nose. When Snape brought his head back down, a stream of blood hit the floor at Harry's feet. When he looked at Snape's nose, Harry smiled. The hook shaped nose was now almost flush with Snape's face and was about thirty degrees to the left.

"Do understand the lesson, Snivellus?" Harry asked.

As he slightly inclined his head Snape's eyes were filled with hate for Harry. The intensity of the hate surpassed even the amount they had held for Sirius. In the past, Harry would have wanted to run if that type of stare had ever been directed at him. Now, it just made him laugh.

Harry smiled. "Good," he said as he flicked Snape's nose before moving back towards the wall. Harry surveyed the room before he began to speak again.

"Now, I am sure that you all are very interested in the Wraith. One thing I'm sure that you all are wonder is why I said the he is responsible for thirteen dead Death Eaters since there were reported only seven Death Eaters killed at the Leaky Cauldron.

"Well, earlier today he set a trap at Hermione's house. We both guessed that Death Eaters were going to come after her so after he helped her and her parents move to a secure location, he set a gnarly little trap using Muggle mines that decimated six Death Eaters. Actually in my opinion, it was amazing that he was able to determine that there were six dead considering the mess. I think the largest piece he said he found was half of a forearm." As Harry said this, he saw a most of the people in the room eyes go wide. A couple of people started to look like they were going to be sick.

"Now, a little about the man himself," Harry continued. "He is very pissed off. If you gathered all the anger, rage, and hate that people in this room feel towards the Voldemort and his Death Eaters, it would pale in comparison to his wrath. What he has planned for Death Eaters is not pretty. To support that, let's examine a couple aspects of the Wraith.

"First, let's consider his name, Wraith. According to Webster's Dictionary, the definition fort wraith is 'the spectral figure of a person supposedly seen as a premonition just before that person's death.' It is sort of like the Grim. He was very deliberate when choosing what moniker he wanted to be known as by the public; he felt Wraith fit his requirements perfectly.

"The second thing is a quotation from the Muggle Bible that he found and liked. He feels it describes how he is going to fight the Voldemort and his Death Eaters quite well. It is from the book of Ezekiel. 'I will judge you. Your blood will flow throughout the land,'" Harry said. He paused briefly to examine the expressions of the people present. He was happy to see that even Tonks looked shocked.

"You may be wondering why this Wraith guy came to me," Harry continued. "Well, as the incident at the Leaky Cauldron proved, I am a magnet for Death Eaters. That day I attracted thirteen and he took out seven of the bastards. He was very happy that day.

"In addition to being bait, I also do a little research for him. This includes both actual research and buying the books that he needs. I have lots of money, and not much to spend it on. This combination has lead both him and me to develop many spells that are excellent for causing Death Eaters considerable amounts of pain before killing them," Harry said with a smile.

Harry saw Snape start to say something that most likely what he considered a witty insult regarding Harry doing research. Even though it would be fun to hit Snape again, Harry wasn't in the mood to hear Snape's voice and decided to stop him from talking for the rest of the meeting. Silently he cast the Iron Gauntlet spell. He also gathered a small amount of magic in his hand that he would release when he punched Snape. This would greatly increase the kinetic energy that would collide with Snape's face.

"You look like you are about to interrupt me again, Snivellus. You remember what happened last time you interrupted me?" Harry asked as he cracked his knuckles. Snape swallowed and shook his head. "I thought not. You are _nequam nothus__. _You're nothing but an _ignavus__. _For those here who can't translate Latin quickly, I just said Snivellus here is a worthless bastard and a coward. I can tell that he understands it perfectly. He really started shaking with anger when I called him a _coward_," Harry said, putting emphasis on the word "coward".

"I'm sure that you would deny it but the fact remains Snivellus that you are a _coward_. You never even try to fight against those whom you perceive to be stronger than you. Whether it is Voldemort or Professor Dumbledore, you always bend over and take it. Even though you must hate it, you always submit. Is the anger you feel about your _cowardice_ the reason you bully your students? The Muggle psychiatrist Sigmund Freud would say that you were using a defense mechanism called displacement. What that means is that to protect yourself, you take the hate that you feel for yourself and direct it towards a target that is less threatening in order to protect yourself," Harry said a look of disgust. "You know, you should thank me for pointing this out to you. Now that you know it, you will be able to find a way to deal with being such a _coward_."

Harry smiled as he saw Snape finally lose control. Snape stood and quickly drew his wand and fired a curse at Harry. Harry dodged the spell and shot towards Snape. Harry threw a punch that connected with Snape's jaw. Once again, the people in the room the telltale crack that signaled the breaking of bone. The force of the blow snapped Snape's head around and his body soon followed the spin. Turning as he fell, Snape hit the floor face down. Harry gave the body a small kick before walking back to his space on the wall.

"Where was I? Oh yeah, about doing research for the Wraith and his spell development. Well, I wasn't going to share an example of his work but Snivellus forced the issue. Earlier, he tried to break into my mind. However, my buddy Wraith provided me with some protection against people invading my mind. This was necessary because Snivellus sucks at teaching and couldn't teach me to protect my mind. The Wraith's spell makes it seem like the person invading my mind runs into a palisade, a wall made of sharpened stakes. The spell is called the Palisade Mind Guard. As you saw, the results of when a person runs into the spell is he or she ends up with a bunch of gashes on their face.

"Well, I think there is just one more thing that I am sure that he would want to me to make clear: his motivation. It might appear that his motivation is that he is doing all this as revenge against Voldemort and his Death Eaters. While it certainly seems that way, even to me when I first met him, revenge is not why he is fighting the Death Eaters. No, he is punishing them. It is not quite divine wrath and punishment but it comes close." Harry paused and surveyed the crowd.

Minister Bones was wearing a very slight smile as she nodded her approval when Harry's eyes met her eyes. Dumbledore was allowing some of his surprise to show as he briefly halted his medical treatment of Snape's injuries. He had believed that Harry's true motive was revenge. The statement that it was punishment was a revelation. Dumbledore was also surprised at how easily Harry glossed over some of the details. Tonks and Kingsley were both unabashedly showing their surprise. Harry, however, wasn't sure what had surprised them. Moody was just scowling.

"Now, does anyone have any questions?" Harry asked a few minutes later.

"Yeah, I got one Potter," Moody growled. "If this Wraith wants Death Eaters punished, why doesn't he let the Ministry handle them?"

"Well, he feels that the Ministry wouldn't be able to punish them harsh enough. If the Ministry punished them as much as they deserved then it would not have any moral high ground. Let's look at how he killed one of the Death Eaters who attacked the Leaky Cauldron. After paralyzing the Death Eater, the Wraith set the Death Eater on fire. I can't see the general populace condoning that as a suitable punishment." After saying this, Harry burst out laughing.

"Harry, why are you laughing?" Dumbledore asked. He was horrified that Harry was laughing after talking about burning someone to death.

"Oh, I was just remembering what happened when the Wraith recounted this part of the fight. You see, there were these three Death Eaters that were trying to keep him pinned down. The Death Eaters had forgotten that the walls were wood and the Wraith surprised them by attacking them through the wall. The Reductor that he had used had continued on after it had blown a hole in the wall. It collided with the gut of one of the Death Eaters and sprayed said Death Eater's innards all over the hall. One of the surviving Death Eaters pulled off his mask and showered the floor with his lunch while the other one prepared to fire a curse. What was funny is that the Wraith thought at that moment was that the Death Eater wasn't as _green_ as the one who threw up. Wraith didn't intend it a pun at the time. We both got a kick out of it during the retelling," Harry finish, grinning widely.

Shocked silence reined for a minute before Tonks asked, "What's with those tattoos that the _Prophet_ said he has?"

"The phoenixes with the bloody talons? Actually, he removed them himself. While a phoenix can be fierce in battle, it only defends other people. Phoenixes never seek battle like the Wraith is going to," Harry replied. "The Wraith has great respect for phoenixes and doesn't want to slander their good name by dragging them in as a trademark for his work." Silence overtook the room again.

After a couple of minutes of silence, Dumbledore said, "Well, if there aren't anymore questions--"

"Headmaster, I have a question for Potter," Snape said.

"Did you have a nice nap Snivellus?" Harry asked lightly. "So, what is your question?"

"What makes this Wraith think he that he is has a right to pass judgment on Death Eaters and the Dark Lord?" Snape asked.

"You sound like you are defending those animals," Harry observed.

Snape's face briefly twisted into a mask of rage. "I'm not defending them. I just want to know what gives this Wraith the belief that he can just sidestep the laws of this country."

"If you are thinking that the Wraith thinks he is special, well you are dead wrong. The Wraith considers himself a normal bloke who decided to do something about the plague of Voldemort. As for why he doesn't want them punished through the courts is he doesn't believe that Death Eater would get proper sentences. You were asleep for the other reason. If the Ministry were to give what the Wraith believes are proper punishments then it would not have a moral high ground to stand upon," Harry finished.

"Harry, what Professor Snape just asked reminded me of a question," Dumbledore said. "Has the Wraith said anything to you as to what separates his actions from those of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters?"

Dumbledore had expected Harry to get angry at his pointed question. However, Harry smiled.

"I thought it was fairly obvious what separates the Wraith from the Death Eaters Professor. The things separate the two are their goals. The Death Eaters want to gain power and dominate the world. They prey upon their fellows and therefore have become beasts.

"The Wraith, on the other hand, simply desires for the Death Eaters to no longer exist. He doesn't prey on innocents. You could say that he protecting the people of this nation, though he would anybody for suggesting it. However, I'm not going to discuss his view of society," Harry finished. He looked out and saw a stunned audience.

After a minute of silence, Dumbledore said, "Well, if there aren't any more questions then this meeting of the Order of the Phoenix is adjourned."

'_Professor now would be a good time to set up the duel,'_ Harry's voice said. _'Invite Minister Bones to stay also.'_

"Alastor, Kingsley, Tonks, and Severus, please remain for a minute. Amelia, I think this will interest you also," Dumbledore said after receiving the message from Harry.

Harry stood in thought for a second. "Hey Remus, could you stay for a moment? I need you at the meeting that is about to happen," he told the werewolf.

Remus nodded. "Sure thing," he said.

After the rest of the Order left the room, Harry said, "You all are wondering why the Professor asked you all to remain, right? Well, it was at my request. You see, I need some people to test out my dueling skills and I thought 'Hey, what better way to test my skills than using two Aurors, a former Death Eater, and the best Defense professor Hogwarts has had for a while?'" Harry asked as he looked at the group.

The group stared back. Kingsley, Tonks, Moody, and Remus looked surprised. Dumbledore's face was void of any expression. Minister Bones's face also appeared empty of expression. However, her eyes held a glint of approval. Snape's face held nothing but loathing.

"Why—," Snape began but Harry cut him off.

"You're going to ask why you have duel me, aren't you? Well, here's why you are going to duel me: if you don't I will write up what I saw in the Pensieve, along with what I said earlier about your cowardice, and distribute it to the entire school," Harry said with a smile.

Snape paled. Harry had a hard time trying to figure if it was from rage or fear.

"I will interpret your silence that you will participate in the duel. Kingsley, Moody, and Remus, with you help me by dueling me with Snape? Oh yeah, it will be four on one duel: you four against me," Harry asked.

"Potter, you're loonier than me if you want to duel four very skilled adults all at once," Moody said with a crooked smile as Kingsley and Remus nodded their agreement. Snape just glared.

"Well, I'll explain to Kingsley why I think I will be able to the four of you and he can translate it into language that you might understand. Kingsley, you know how well I fight using Krav Maga?"

"Yeah, you're pretty damn good," Kingsley agreed

"Well, my dueling skills I would say are about twenty times better than my Krav Maga," Harry said. _Actually, it is probably closer to fifty times but I don't want to scare them off_, Harry thought. _Of course,_ that _estimate doesn't include how my dual wand techniques might augment my abilities. Then you have to factor in my abilities of using Krav Maga while I use magic._

Kingsley's and Tonks's eyes both bulged. "Are you serious Harry? You're that good?" Kingsley finally managed to squeak after a minute.

"Yep," Harry said.

"Mind explaining to the rest of us what that means?" Moody growled.

"Let's just say that despite it is four against one, Harry has a pretty good chance of winning," Kingsley replied. "I have little doubt that the only person here who would have change in hell of beating him in one-on-one duel is Professor Dumbledore."

"How is this possible?" Moody asked. "I saw Potter fighting at the Ministry. While he was well above average in fighting skills for someone still in school, he could barely handle one Death Eater."

"Well, I have had some private lessons with someone much better than most of the people in this room. In fact, I believe he could prove to be an even match with Professor Dumbledore," Harry said. "I am of course talking about the Wraith. He had been training me to the point where I have passed out due to exhaustion. However, he wakes me after only thirty minutes of rest and continues. The only reason you don't see how exhausted I am is a Glamour Charm and insane amounts of caffeine."

"How have you gotten past the Underage Restrictions? Surely after all of the times you flaunted your disregard for the law that you have monitoring devices dedicated just for you," Snape sneered.

Out the corner of his eye, Harry saw Bones tense slightly at the question. "Oh, my friend Wraith snuck into the Ministry and switched off all of the monitoring devices that were assigned to watch me. So, if I wanted to, I curse any of you right now," he said. "I'll settle for punching you again though."

"You are still breaking the law, and I see that your arrogance has grown since you're admitting this fact in front of the Minister of Magic," Snape said.

"Hold your tongue Snape," Bones said sharply. "If he is breaking the law then that is for me to decide, not some obscure potions master. As I see it, Mr. Potter isn't the one who broke the law; it was this Wraith who broke it. I was actually considering clearing Mr. Potter from the restrictions. It would be atonement for the penalties he incurred by resisting Fudge.

"I'm not going to ask anything about the Wraith since I'm presuming that Harry has been magically sworn to secrecy by the Wraith so he can't reveal any information beyond what he shared earlier. Am I correct Mr. Potter?" Bones asked. Harry nodded.

"Hey Harry, what about me? I'm an Auror too you know. If you are as good as you claimed then you should be able to hold your own against the five of us," Tonks asked pouting.

"I'll explain to you later why I don't want to include you in this duel," Harry said.

"Now, let's set a date for the duel. How about July 31st?" Harry asked. He received nods from Remus, Kingsley, and Moody. Glancing at Snape, Harry said, "You don't have a choice Snivellus."

"Arrogant little brat," Snape growled.

"Arrogance is earned Snivellus, and I believe I have thoroughly earned mine," Harry replied.

"Would you mind if I observed Mr. Potter?" Bones asked.

"I would love it if you came and watched Minister. I could prove to you that the leniency that you showed me tonight regarding my use of magic is not wasted," Harry said. "As for the place, is using the large field that borders the Forbidden Forest okay Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, that is fine," Dumbledore replied.

"Now, I want to get back to work. You know, developing new spells, developing tactics, practicing, etc. Before we break up this cheery little meeting, I do have one warning for you four: take me seriously. If you don't, you will get hurt. The rules that I am setting for this duel is everything goes except that you can't aim to kill, but that doesn't mean that you won't die," Harry said in an even voice. While Bones and Dumbledore wore neutral expressions, the other five, including Snape, were staring, shocked, after Harry's statement.

Even though he had heard this statement once before, Dumbledore was still shocked by the coldness of Harry's tone. However, what Harry said to Tonks still echoed in Dumbledore's head.

_He said 'I don't want to include you in this duel.' That statement might mean that old Harry is still active in Harry's mind. There is hope yet,_ Dumbledore thought. He had seen how chummy Tonks and Harry had become. If Harry was able to fire anything above a Stunner at her then he would be lost.

"Mr. Potter, may I have a moment of your time?" Bones asked.

"Of course Minister," Harry replied and led her towards another room. At the doorway, Harry paused. "Tonks, how about having dinner with me tonight?"

Tonks, who was musing about something, was startled by Harry's voice. "What? Oh sure, that sounds like a good idea."

"That's great. I won't be too long. Remus, could you wait also? You asked me a question earlier and I said I would answer it," Harry said.

Remus looked lost for a second before he understood what Harry was talking about. "Sure, I'll wait." Harry nodded and left the room

Once Harry left the room, Snape let loose his pent up fury. "Headmaster, I demand that you expel that arrogant child. He attacked a Professor of Hogwarts. That's enough of a reason before you take into account the severity injuries he caused me!" Snape raged.

"Severus, you know as well as I that the only reason that a student can be expelled over summer break is breaking the restrictions regarding underage magic," Dumbledore replied evenly.

Snape was starting to twitch with his fury. "Well then, how did he become fluent in Latin in such a short amount a time? While I will admit that surprised me, that boy has always been a brainless show-off. I don't believe that he is as strong as he says he is," Snape spat.

"Just because you refuse to see Harry's potential because of your grudge against his father doesn't mean he isn't," Remus said coolly. "I do believe you heard that he resisted an Imperious Curse cast by Voldemort himself."

"He made that up," Snape replied dismissively.

"Severus, he was in no condition to make anything up that night. Of that fact I can assure you," Dumbledore said with a hint of anger.

Tonks waved here wand over the room. "That was a secrecy spell so what I am about to say won't leave the room.

"You want further proof of Harry's genius Snivellus?" Tonks asked, her scorn for the potions master apparent in her voice. "He did lie about something tonight. The person who developed that spell to protect he mind wasn't this Wraith person. It was Harry and he did it over the course of a couple of _hours_!"

Even Snape could not control his surprise. "He, he lied about that too," he finally managed to say.

"I will vouch for this fact Severus," Dumbledore said. His anger was very apparent now. "One of the wards that I had cast on Harry's home told me whenever a wizard or witch visited him. No one other than Ms. Tonks visited him after I left him on the day in question. It was the next day that Ms. Tonks informed me that Harry had developed a method to protect his mind though she didn't elaborate. I left him around six o'clock at night and he tested the spell with Ms. Tonks around 12:30?" Tonks nodded.

Snape stood with his mouth hanging open. It took him a few minutes to process what had been said. As he sorted through the information, he began to feel a sense of apprehension towards the upcoming duel. "Well, I guess I'll leave the Harry Potter fan club to praise the brat and inflate his already oversized ego," Snape said without thinking in an effort to save face.

"Severus, for that comment I am going to dock one month of your salary," Dumbledore said coldly.

"What?" Snape yelped.

"Want to extend the punishment to two months?" Dumbledore asked his eyebrows raised. "If not, then I suggest you leave."

Snape made a hasty retreat from the room.

After Snape had left the room, Dumbledore sighed. "Of course," he said to the gathered wizards, "we need to remember that Harry is only fifteen years old; he has awhile before his magic becomes fully mature. Until he reaches that point, his power will continue to grow."

--

As Snape was being berated for his doubts of Harry's ability, Harry led Bones to another room. Once inside, he began wave his wand at the walls as if he was painting them. As Harry's wand passed over the walls, they began to glow; Bones recognized the spell as a high-level privacy spell.

"I see that my granting you freedom from the underage restriction wasn't wasted Mr. Potter," Bones said with a smile. "I am very impressed. Your skills have progressed quickly and far beyond my expectations. Particularly regarding the number of Death Eaters you have already terminated."

"Please, call me Harry," he said.

"Then I insist that you call me Amelia when it is just us," Amelia said.

"Anyways, I am happy to hear that you are impressed," Harry replied with a smile of his own. "I have been working extremely hard. I wasn't exaggerating in the other room. Of course it isn't the 'Wraith' who is working me so brutally."

"Speaking of brutality, why did you kill those Death Eaters like that? I mean the brutality of your method," Bones said. "Not that I have a real problem with it."

"Well, there are two reasons. As I said in the other room, it is punishment for their sins. The other reason is that it will discourage people from joining Voldemort. I mean, who wants to join an organization when there is a good chance that you be burned to death or have both of your arm's blown off before having your brain ejected from your skull after it was liquefied?" Harry asked. "Besides, if I just kill them then as the body count rises, it would almost become routine."

"Point taken," Amelia said. "Do you mind me asking some other questions?"

"Go ahead," Harry said.

"Why set up this duel? As you said, you have already killed thirteen Death Eaters so why do you want to duel those wizards?" Amelia asked.

"Well, the Death Eaters I actually fought were relatively weak and new. The wizards I challenged tonight I know are skilled. Two are Aurors, one is a former high ranking Death Eater, and one is one of the best Defense Against the Dark Arts professor has ever had, Remus Lupin. He was also the only person to fight at the Ministry and not get hurt," Harry explained.

"It sounds like it will be very entertaining," Bones said. "Why is it again that Lupin isn't the DADA professor again?"

"Because he is a werewolf," Harry said.

Bones nodded. "One of my goals for my administration is to repeal all the disgusting laws that allow discrimination against werewolves. Susan echoed your sentiments regarding Mr. Lupin. However, I believe that she would say that _you_ are the best DADA teacher to grace Hogwarts with their presence."

"Well, it is always nice to know you have fans," Harry said.

"What kind of spells have you developed? I am guessing that the spell that you said the Wraith performed on you was actually created by you since you are the Wraith."

"Oh, I have made all kinds of spells. I have one that I want to give to you actually," Harry said as he fished around in his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. "For some reason, I had a feeling that you were going to be here tonight so I brought it along. It's a new Portkey spell for your Aurors. I modified it so that it could break through Portkey wards without alerting the enemy. The ride is also a lot smoother than the original spell. The instructions for casting the spell are on the piece of paper."

"Interesting," Bones said as studied the spell. "You said the ride is smoother?"

"Yes, I streamlined the spell. I removed about a third of the steps that the magic goes through as it is being cast," Harry said. "The less magic is manipulated, the better it works."

"Do you think you could create a modified Portkey that acts like a normal Portkey but has the smooth ride?" Bones asked.

"Certainly, it wouldn't be a problem," Harry said.

"Excellent. You know, if you patent these spells, you could license it to the Ministry and make a royalty every time it is used. Of course, you didn't hear it from me," Bones said. Looking at the spell instructions in her hands, she said, "I'll lose this until you get your patents."

"If I did want to patent the spells, were would I go?" Harry asked.

"Gringotts," Bones replied.

"I'll look into it. I think I can have it for you by the end of this week at the longest," Harry said. "How long does a patent application take to process?"

"If the goblins weren't running our monetary system, I think somewhere between a month and a year. However, we do have goblins so it should take about one business day." At Harry's surprised look, Bones smiled and said, "Yes, goblins are that efficient."

"In spite of that, wizards still look down on them. The magical community is obscenely lacking when it comes to respecting others," Harry said with a look of disgust. "It sickens me that I'm destined to save this society. The only reasons I know that prevent me from letting Voldemort annihilate this sick society are that his would be much worse."

Bones sighed. "That is too true. Even though I am the Minister of Magic, I can only do so much to try and change the situation." Bones looked at her watch. "Wow, it's almost 9:30. I have to get home. Susan said she was going to cook me something special tonight."

"Good night Amelia," Harry said. "Tell Susan I said 'Hey' and that I'll see her in five days."

Amelia paused. "What?" she asked.

"Susan wrote me and asked for advice on her Patronus. I wrote back that instead of trying to teach her through letters, I should just give her private lessons," Harry explained. "Do you know a place where she and I could meet in the nearby village?"

"There's a pub called the Rusty Nail on the outskirts of the village. How about I tell her to meet you there around eleven in the morning?"

"Sounds like a plan," Harry said. "Good night."

"Good night Harry and try not to work yourself too hard," Amelia said before leaving the room.

Harry left the room and headed back to the meeting room. He found Remus and Tonks laughing about something.

"Hey guys, what's so funny?" Harry asked, pausing just inside the door.

"After you and Bones left, Snape started bitching about what happened during the meeting. Once he saw he wasn't going to get you in trouble because you broke his nose and jaw, he started doubting your abilities. By the end of the mini meeting, even Dumbledore had somewhat joined in the Snape bashing. It culminated with Snape get docked a month's pay because he said that we were all part of the 'Harry Potter Fan Club'," Tonks said.

"Heh, that would have been fun to watch. Remus, step over here," Harry said. Remus nodded and walked over. Tonks watched as Harry started explaining something in a whisper with Remus nodding every now and then. When Harry finished speaking five minutes later, Remus grasped Harry's shoulder and said something that made Harry nod slightly. Remus then left room.

"What was that all about?" Tonks asked.

"Oh just a spell I cooked up that has impressed various people," Harry said.

"Can you tell me about it?" Tonks asked hopefully.

Harry moaned. "I have explained it three times already. I swear, I'll have to knock myself out to stop it from running through my mind," he said, shaking his head. "But, since you are so cute I guess I have no choice." Harry said this last part while his eyes were closed, missing the blush that had spread across Tonks cheeks.

"Well, you don't have to tell me," Tonks said, barely avoiding shuttering.

"No, I'll tell you but not verbally. I recently read about another way of relaying information to another person. However, I am going to wait till we get back to my room. Too many chances to be spied on here," Harry replied. Without another word, Harry embraced Tonks and Apparated them back to his room.

When they arrived in Harry's room, Tonks stepped away from the very comfortable hug and looked at him. "Harry that was the smoothest Apparate trip I have ever experienced. How long have you been Apparating?" Tonks asked.

Harry shed the cloak that he had been wearing and picked up a book from his desk and was reading a page quickly. "Officially, about a month," he said with a shrug. "Apparition is one of the topics I have studied this summer and I learned a few things," he added, anticipating her next question.

"Oh," was all Tonks could say.

"All right, ready to receive some knowledge?" Harry asked as he closed the book.

"What are you going to do Harry?" Tonks asked in a timid voice.

"Do you trust me Tonks?" Harry asked calmly looking into Tonks's dark eyes.

"With my life," Tonks answered immediately, staring back into his vivid green eyes.

"Then please believe me that I would never try something on you that would put your life in danger. That mind protection test doesn't count because I was ready to heal you and it wasn't life threatening," Harry added quickly.

Tonks took a deep breath and nodded. Harry nodded back. Harry closed his eyes and placed his middle and fore fingers between his eyes. His face was scrunched in concentration. Tonks barely breathed so as to not bother Harry.

A few minutes later, his eyes opened. His fingers had begun to glow slightly sliver. "Stare into my eyes Tonks. For this to work, you have to focus on something and ignore my fingers," he said.

Tonks nodded. As his fingers approached, Harry paused. "I do trust you and your abilities Harry," she said with conviction.

Harry nodded and stared into her eyes. He brought his fingers to her forehead and pressed down firmly. Tonks's eyes went blank for a minute before she collapsed; Harry gently caught her before she hit the ground; he found that she was unexpectedly light. As he held her, he glanced at his watch.

_The book said the person would be unconscious for a minute or two after receiving the information. That means I have about thirty more seconds before I should panic, _Harry thought.

As he was thinking this, Tonks's eyes gave a flutter before they fully opened and landed on Harry face. She shook her head and then smiled. Harry sensed that she was slightly shaky so he helped her up and keep an arm around her shoulders until he was certain that she could stand by herself.

"What a rush," Tonks said. "That is some spell you cooked up."

"The new Portkey one?" Tonks nodded. "Yeah, I always hated traveling via Portkey and decided to do something about it. I am going to patent the spells so I can earn a little income. Not that I really need it but I like it since it one thing I can do to make the Ministry pay for making my life hell last year," Harry said.

Tonks chuckled. "What about the spell you just performed?" she asked.

"That one is so old it doesn't actually have a name. It was used by ancient wizards to share information they felt they couldn't speak of or write down even in code," Harry said.

"Cool, now what's for dinner?" Tonks asked.

"I'm going to make stuffed bell peppers," Harry said. "Somehow a cook book ended up in all the books that Dumbledore gave me."

Tonks chuckled as she followed him to the kitchen.

Harry pointed to a chair when he saw Tonks looking around for some way to help. "You are a guest in my house so I will do all the work, not that stuffed peppers are hard to make," he said.

Cracking his knuckles, Harry got to work. Going to his refrigerator, he pulled out some ground beef, and some red bell peppers. Harry laid all the ingredients on the country and pulled out a bowl and various spices. Opening the meat, he put it in the bowl and began to massage the spices into it. Finishing that, he put it in a frying pan to cook while he washed and gutted the peppers.

"I don't like my food too spicy Harry," Tonks said, eyeing the peppers.

Harry gave a chuckle. "Don't worry; bell peppers aren't spicy at all. You might think that, being red, these peppers are hotter than their green cousins. Actually, they are sweeter and that is why I use them," Harry said.

Tonks saw that somehow Harry had timed it perfectly for the meat to be done right as he finished preparing the last pepper. Carefully, Harry filled the pepper with the hot meat. Finished with that, Harry put them in the oven.

"Shouldn't be too long," Harry said as he got a drink for Tonks. They exchanged small talk until the oven beeped. Rubbing his hands in anticipation, Harry pulled the peppers from the oven and put them on a plate. Taking two other plates and some silverware, Harry brought the meal over to the table.

Taking a bite, Tonks smiled. "This is good Harry," she said.

"And like the spaghetti sauce, these peppers are really easy to store," Harry replied after chewing his first bite. "If you want, you could put ketchup on the meat part. Actually, the peppers aren't too bad with ketchup."

"Nah, I don't need it," Tonks said before taking another bite.

They continued to eat in a comfortable silence until they had finished every pepper.

"Hmm, I didn't we would expect to eat all of them," Harry said as he washed the last plate. "But that just means they were that good. Now, down to business."

Tonks looked at him, head cocked in confusion. "Business?" she asked.

"Remember earlier I said I would explain why I don't want to fight you in the duel?"

Tonks nodded.

"You also cannot reveal what I am about to tell you to anyone else," Harry said firmly.

"I swear I won't," Tonks said, perking up at the serious tone of Harry voice.

"Well, I am going to use spells that can cause serious injury. To put it in perspective, spells that break bones will be the least of their worries. In addition to being powerful, I design my spells to ignore most shields. Earlier, I understated my dueling skills. I said I was about twenty times better than my Krav Maga when dueling with a wand. Actually, I am _at least_ twenty times better and that is on an off day. During the duel, I will hold nothing back. I will show _no mercy_.

"Now, those are very dangerous spells to say the least, especially with me casting them without mercy. The reason I don't want to fight you is I don't want to use those spells on you Tonks," Harry finished in a soft tone. Somewhere in his head, he felt something fade.

Tonks sat in shocked silence. She didn't know whether be scare of Harry and his power or flattered that he couldn't raise a wand against her. She was startled out of her thoughts when she felt something touch her hand. Looking down, she saw that Harry was holding her hand. Looking up at him, she could see that he was a bit worried.

"You okay Tonks?" He asked gently.

"Yeah, it's just a lot to take in," she said. She saw a pensive expression crease Harry's face.

"Tonks, can you be here around eleven o'clock?" Harry asked after a minute.

Tonks nodded. "Yeah, I have the day off tomorrow. Why?"

"Well, I need to stop at a store to get you something and the store I need to patron opens at 10:45," Harry said.

Tonks was puzzled how a gift from Harry was connected to his pensive mood.

Sensing that Tonks was going to object to the thought of present, Harry added, "Tonks, please trust me on this. I'll explain when I give it to you."

"All right," Tonks said with a nod.

"Good," Harry replied with a smile. His eyes drifted to his watch "Whoa, it's almost one o'clock. Instead of trudging back your place, why don't you bunk here for the night? My bed is free again. Like most nights, I'm going to be working through the it."

At that moment, Tonks stifled a yawn. "Sure, I wouldn't mind," Tonks replied. "Apparating while half-asleep is an iffy proposition at best."

"All right, you know where everything is. See you in the morning," he said before heading off to his study.

Tonks smiled at Harry's back before she made her way to his bedroom. Looking around, she said, "Of course I don't mind; it's a hell of a lot nicer than my apartment. Last time I slept here I woke more rested than every before." Stripping down to her underwear, Tonks climbed under the soft sheets.

_Is he a brother? a lover? a friend? _Tonks asked herself in an attempt to understand her feelings toward Harry. Tonks mulled over her relationship with Harry until she drifted off to sleep.

--

Harry sat in his study with a perplexed look on his face. _I only swore to do one thing during this war, kill as many Death Eaters as I can. I never made a vow to protect anyone, not even myself. So why the hell am I going to Tonks a summoning ring?_ Harry asked himself.

Harry picked up a book and tried to concentrate but found that the situation with Tonks prevented him from focusing. Letting out a low growl, Harry headed to his gym; he hoped a workout would clear his head.

_Ah, damn it, why is that little interaction bothering me so much? _Harry angrily asked himself as he pounded the heavy bag. _Why is it that it felt so natural that my recent aggressive behavior seems so alien whenever I'm with Tonks? Why the…_

"Owww," Harry yelped as he accidentally did what a person is never supposed to do while punching a heavy bag: he hit it as it swung back towards him. "Aw shit that hurts," Harry said as he held his jammed wrist. "I swear, women might be more dangerous to my health than Voldemort."

He pulled out his wand and waved it over his hand, which started to glow blue. Checking his hand thoroughly, Harry didn't find any red lines that indicated broken bones. Conjuring some tape, Harry taped his wrist to give it extra support.

"Well, at least it isn't my right hand; I can still write," Harry said as he grimaced at his injured wrist.

After he mounted his stationary bike, Harry punched up his custom program. "I rather fight Voldemort or five dragons than try and understand women," Harry said as he began peddling.

--

The next morning, Tonks woke to find the sun shining in the window. Surprised, she grabbed her wand and spoke the spell that would tell her the time. She was startled that it was all ready ten o'clock, five hours passed her customary five o'clock wake up time. However, she felt very well rested. A faint smile on her face, Tonks made her way to the bathroom to shower. Half an hour later, she emerged with the freshly laundered feeling that she loved. Sniffing the air, Tonks smelled an aroma that made her stomach growl with anticipation. Smiling, she made her way to the kitchen.

"Good morning Tonks," Harry said as she walked into the kitchen.

"Morning Harry," Tonks replied. "That smells really good." Peeking over his shoulder, Tonks saw that he was currently tending to pan full of scrambled eggs. In an adjourning pan, some sausage links were sizzling. Next to the stove was a stack of pancakes.

"Tonks, could you stick some bread in the toaster and then get the jam and butter out of the fridge and put them on the table?" Harry asked as he added some pepper to the eggs. The other pointed at the refrigerator. Tonks noticed that Harry's wrist was wrapped in bandages.

"Harry, what happened to your wrist?" Tonks asked, a little bit of worry in her voice.

"Oh I sprained it when I got distracted as I worked the heavy bag last night. It is extremely minor compared to other things that have happened to my arms," Harry said. "Can you pass me a couple of plates?"

Tonks let sigh of disbelief at Harry's casualness concerning injury as she passed Harry the plates. Harry piled eggs and sausage on to both plates. As he took the plates to the table, the toaster signaled that the bread was toast was finished with a sharp ding. After putting the plates on the table next to two glasses, Harry was about to wave his wand to summon the toast to the table when he saw that Tonks was all ready putting it on a plate. Since that was done, Harry went and got some orange juice from the fridge. After pouring the juice, Harry motioned for Tonks to sit which she did.

They ate their breakfast in a comfortable silence with only two comments being exchanged. Tonks complimented Harry's cooking again and Harry mentioning how he like it that Tonks ate like a normal human being rather than one of the crazy girls at Hogwarts who treated a meal like they currently enjoyed like a band of Death Eaters. As they were cleaning the dishes, Harry glanced at his watch.

"Hey Tonks, the store is now open. Do you mind finishing the dishes by yourself?" Harry asked.

"Not at all," Tonks replied as she took Harry's place in front of the sink.

"All right, see ya in a bit," Harry said as he Disapparated.

Tonks, smiled at the spot where Harry had been standing. After a minute, she went back to washing the dishes. As she was putting the last dish away, Tonks noticed that Harry had a dishwasher. She resolved to ask Harry why he hand-washed dishes when he had a dishwasher when he returned from his errand.

Having finished the dishes, Tonks walked into Harry's study and decided to check out the library that Dumbledore had provided; she had experienced only a couple of spells that Harry had found and they amazed her. Especially since the spell that transferred the information about his new Portkey spell.

Tonks browsed through the books but found that most were in foreign languages that she could understand. After she let out a sigh, Tonks tried to remember the title of the book that Harry had found that healing spell; after all, the page that he had copied had been in English. "Oh yeah, it was _A Miscellaneous Listing of Advanced Spells for the Bored Wizard_," Tonks said to herself and summoned the book. Cracking it open, she began to read.

This was how Harry found her an hour later, her mind completely immersed in what she was reading. She hadn't noticed that he was back yet, Harry noted and a mischievous smile spread across his face as he wondered how he might exploit Tonks's state of defenselessness. The smile grew as an idea formed in his head. However, the lump in his pocket threw the idea out of his head.

_However, that doesn't mean I can't startle her,_ Harry thought before he Apparated behind her.

"_Fulgur Tenere_," Harry muttered right before he grabbed her shoulder.

Even if Tonks wasn't engrossed in her book, she still wouldn't have heard Harry Apparate behind her. However, her ears did hear something muttered behind her right before a hand grabbed her shoulder. What really surprised her was the jolt of electricity that entered her shoulder.

"Harry, you God damn jackass!" Tonks screamed as she whipped around, her wand searching for the raven-haired prankster. However, a hand lightly grabbed her wrist and kept it from aiming her want at the face of Harry Potter which currently held a large grin.

"I'm back, Tonks," Harry said lightly.

"I can see that you ass," Tonks growled. She applied more force to arm in hopes of forcing her wand into Harry's face so that she might let off a curse. She wasn't sure what curse yet but it would be painful for Harry. However, Harry's arm prevented any movement towards his body.

"Oh come on Tonks, you don't really want to hurt me?" Harry said as he made puppy dog eyes. "After all, I used the gentle version of that spell."

"I want to hurt you even more now," Tonks said. However, she saw that there wasn't anyways for her to prevail in the current situation so she put her wand away. However, she vowed to pay Harry back for the prank.

"Harry, I got a question for you," Tonks said.

"Shoot," Harry said.

"You have a dishwasher; why do you do your dishes by hand?"

Harry smiled. "Well, I kind of like washing dishes. It gives me a chance to slow down and think," Harry said. "Now, as for the reason why I wanted you to wait around, it was so I could give you this," he said as he handed Tonks a small box.

Tonks gently took the box from his outstretched hand and opened it. Inside was a plain yet very beautiful platinum ring. As she examined it closer, she saw a small H within a circle. She looked up at Harry with question.

"I want you to wear this from now on. If you ever find yourself in a fight and need help, squeeze the 'H' on the ring and think of me. No matter where I am, I will come and protect you. It truly doesn't matter where you are; I can Apparate anywhere including Hogwarts. You've become very dear to me Tonks," Harry said before pausing. _I'm not sure when though, _Harry thought. Taking a breath, he continued.

"When I began training, I swore that I would do two things during this war. One thing I swore is that I would make them pay for the people they already took from me. The other thing other thing was that I wouldn't let them take anyone else," Harry said. Throughout his speech, Harry had gazed into Tonks's eyes. However, he felt embarrassed at the amount of emotion he had shown and began to stare at the floor.

Tonks's breath had caught in her throat. She didn't know what to say as her heart melted at Harry's speech. Though she wasn't sure if her feelings were romantic in nature, Tonks knew that she had never felt so close to another person before. She believed that was the reason that she acted as she did.

Harry's feelings swung towards despair when he saw Tonks stand up. He fully expected her to walk out. Harry had begun to slip in his shell when he felt two soft hands on his shoulders. Looking up, He saw Tonks inches in front of his face. His green eyes went wide when she leaned in and kissed him on the cheek before pulling him into a tight embrace. Harry caught a trace of a pleasant perfume from Tonks's hair. He felt different emotions coming from Tonks than he had experienced in the past; they made him feel warm.

After a few minutes, Tonks released Harry. Looking into his eyes, she said, "Thank you for considering me important enough to give me such a valuable gift. It is flattering to know that I am that dear to you."

Harry faintly smiled. "I'm glad."

--

Several hours later, Harry was sitting in his study, reading the Prophet. After he finished the article, he just shook his head.

"It has only been a couple of days since Voldemort freed his imprisoned Death Eater and yet they have already killed Neville and his grandmother, Luna and her dad, and wiped out five other families. Maybe one way Voldemort is punishing them is by overworking them, or maybe they're just making up for lost time," Harry mused to himself.

Harry let out a yawn as he stretched his neck. "Still, the string of successes will make them cocky and that will most likely make them sloppy. They will pay dearly if they get too sloppy once I join the game," Harry said with a smile. Letting out a breath, Harry picked up his mirror and said, "Dumbledore."

Dumbledore's tired face appeared in Harry's mirror. "Ah, Harry, what can I do for you?"

"I was just wondering how Hermione and her parents were settling in at Grimmauld Place," Harry said.

"Hermione's parents are trying to adjust to the restricted freedom by reading books to learn more about our culture. Hermione only leaves the library for meals and sleep," Dumbledore said.

"That sounds like her," Harry said. However, he wondered if it was her usual quest for knowledge was the only thing that kept her in the library. Seeing the expression on Dumbledore's face, Harry guess Dumbledore was thinking along similar lines.

"Actually, it is a bit fortuitous that you called me since I was going to contact you later on today. Have you gotten your notes together about your raw magic theories?" Dumbledore asked.

"Oh yeah, I did say that I was going to send you a copy. Sorry Professor, but I forgot about it. I will get them out to you today," Harry said sheepishly feeling as though he had forgotten an essay for a class.

"Don't forget to include two additional copies, one for Professor McGonagall and one for Professor Flitwick? I believe your research will end up relating to their respective fields in interesting ways," Dumbledore added. "I also believe they might be some of the few who can truly grasp and appreciate the significance of your work. Also, like me, they enjoy learning."

"Sure thing Professor, just please don't tell them who is behind the work," Harry said. He was slightly embarrassed by the praise that Dumbledore was giving him.

"I promise I won't tell," Dumbledore said.

"Thank you sir," Harry said. "Expect Hedwig to arrive later today with my notes."

"Very good Harry," Dumbledore said with a smile; he was looking forward to studying Harry's notes.

After closing the connection, Harry started getting his notes together before it slipped his mind again. As he gathered the pages, put them in order and copied them, Harry had a flash of inspiration.

"Ah hell, it seems so simple now! Sure working out the details will be a little trouble but it is so clear," Harry said. Quickly finishing his work for Dumbledore, Harry pulled out a piece of paper and began to write.

--

"Thank you for this delivery Hedwig," Dumbledore said as the bird flew into the sunset. He chuckled as she dived to show she had heard him. "She truly is a unique bird."

With mounting anticipation, Dumbledore unrolled the many pieces of paper and began reading. As brutal as the first demonstration of raw magic had been (Dumbledore wasn't going to forget the sight of the young man missing most of his head), the notion of harnessing magic in that way was a brand new concept to him. _And _that_ was saying something_, Dumbledore thought to himself. However, he was soon interrupted by a knock on his door.

"Come in," he called.

When the door opened, it revealed Flitwick and McGonagall. "You called for us Albus?" McGonagall asked.

"Yes, I recently discovered some new research into magic that might interest you two," Dumbledore said with a bright smile. "This research is the first time I have ever seen magic taken in this direction. It is a genuinely new approach to magic."

"Is that so?" squeaked Flitwick, the excitement evident in his voice.

"Since you called us here, I am assuming you managed to get copies for the two of us," McGonagall said. Her usually stern expression had softened somewhat as she too seemed unable to contain her excitement. _Anything thing that gets Albus that excited is bound to be_ _remarkable_, she thought.

"As a matter of fact, the author did consent to making copies for the two of you," Dumbledore said, holding up the copies.

Even the stoic eyes of McGonagall lit up at the news. They both walked quickly over to Albus's desk and unrolled their copies. As they read, both of their eyes went wide.

"Albus, who wrote this?" McGonagall asked, her amazement very clear in her voice.

"Unfortunately, that is something I cannot reveal to you. The author wished to remain anonymous for now," Dumbledore replied.

"Whoever this person is, he or she is a bloody genius," Flitwick said. Both Dumbledore and McGonagall stared at the bluntness of his statement; they had never heard such coarse language from Flitwick. "Albus, I can tell even by skimming the first page that this could rival anything done by Merlin."

"I second that," McGonagall said.

"Well, that is all I needed you two for. I feel that I am safe to assume that you would prefer to continue studying this work at your desks where it might be more comfortable," Dumbledore said. "Just please keep this research quiet. I strongly advise you from trying to copy any of the work."

"We won't tell a soul," Flitwick said as he and McGonagall walked out the door.

After the two professors left, Dumbledore quickly went to retrieve the broom that would take him to the tower where he could meet with the founders of Hogwarts.

"Is it really that fascinating Albus?" Dippet asked from his portrait.

"Yes, it is as incredible as those two made it sound. However, you'll have to wait a while; I promised Godric I would let him and the other founders study it first," Dumbledore said as he flew out the window.

"That Harry Potter, he doesn't look like it but he quite amazing," Dilys Derwent said with a smile.

--

Dumbledore enjoyed the trip to the Towers of the Founders much more this time than his last visit. Instead of flying to Godric's tower, Dumbledore flew to the tower that stood in the center of the four towers. Flying through the window that appeared, Dumbledore landed lightly and put away the broom as torches blazed to life along the walls. Dumbledore stood in front of a massive portrait that held four chairs with his head bowed.

Into the frame walked Rowena Ravenclaw, Helga Hufflepuff, and Godric Gryffindor. Only after they settled themselves in their chairs did Dumbledore raise his head.

"So Albus, what is this 'research' that Godric has telling us about?" Rowena asked in a bored tone. Her expression showed doubt that it would actually interest her since it wasn't from a student of her house.

"Patience Rowena, I assure you that this will pique even your interest," Dumbledore said as he conjured a table on which he spread out the notes. "_Projicere_," Dumbledore said, tapping the paper with his wand. However, instead of projecting the writing that covered the page, a Stunner shot from the page. Dumbledore barely ducked the spell in time. "Harry wasn't jesting when he said he didn't want many people to see his work. I would not want to experience what trap Harry built in if someone tried to copy it," Dumbledore said with a chuckle.

The three founders each had wide eyes at the protection spell. Rowena began to think that this session might actually be interesting if the boy went through that much trouble to protect it.

Dumbledore was studying the paper. "I believe this is spell that he developed himself since I do not recognize it. This might take awhile," Dumbledore said, surprise and a bit of delight on his face. He began trying various methods to break the protection, every now and then dodging various spells that shot from the paper. Two hours later, he finally stood straight, looking triumphant.

"Very impressive Harry," Dumbledore said, smiling. "It is so nice to find a puzzle like that spell to exercise my mind." Looking up, Dumbledore took in three very shocked faces.

"Dumbledore, that Harry Potter is the one who put that protection on those pieces of paper?" Godric asked and received a nod. "And you believe that he _created_ the spell?"

"Impressive work for a fifteen year old boy, wouldn't you say?" Dumbledore asked. Rowena's eyes flew wide open as Helga's mouth fell open. Godric retained his stunned expression _Impressive Harry, you made three of the noblest people ever to live look like First years seeing their first Animagus transformation_, Dumbledore thought with a smile."Of course, that little spell pales in comparison to what is actually _on_ the paper. _Projicere_."

Harry's notes were projected on the wall opposite of the Founders' Portrait. Although Harry had tried to tidy up his notes, it was still very apparent that these were copies of his original work. Among the main body of work were crossed out words; adorning the sides of the pages were doodles of various indistinct, half-formed doodles. However, the four pairs of eyes were glue to the words that covered the page. No one in the room spoke for the next ten minutes.

"This is amazing," Godric said. "I have never seen anyone approach magic in this way."

"I agree. It explains some fundamental truths about magic. This 'wand contamination,' as he calls it, explains why it can be difficult for young children to control their magical abilities, especially if they inherit a wand that didn't choose them. It alters the magic enough that the body almost rejects the transformation of magic," Dumbledore said.

"This work might explain why the few people who can do magic without a wand spell work is more powerful," Godric said as he stroked his chin. "Also, this focusing magic in a body part to augment the performance of said body part…it is so obvious that it makes a person wonder why no one has thought of it before. It's a pity that Salazar chooses not to join us. I have a feeling that he would love this."

"I wonder how we could adapt that into our teachings," Dumbledore said with a thoughtful expression.

"Speaking of schooling, why is this child not in my house? How did someone with such genius end up with the brave yet idiotic members of Godric's house?" Rowena asked bitterly. To her annoyance, the others ignored her. Huffing in frustration, she began studying the notes again.

"Dumbledore, do you know why young Harry decided to study this area of magic?" Godric asked.

"If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that he might have been bored," Albus replied with a smile. Godric shook his head with a matching smile and chuckled.

"The possibilities for where this research might lead and what it might produce are staggering. I doubt that we could come close to imagining what might be developed from this research," Godric said.

As the others debated various aspects of the research, Helga Hufflepuff remained silent. Although the students in her house were labeled as dimmer than the students rest of the student body, Helga was as sharp as any of the founders. While she did agree with the others concerning the merits of the research, Helga also saw how a person could use the theories in a much different way, a very dangerous way. As her mind brooded over how self-destructive this path could be, she began to worry for the boy who had crafted these notes.

_Godric said this is very important student for Dumbledore, that their relationship extended beyond headmaster and pupil_, Helga thought. She debated whether she should tell Dumbledore about her concerns. _No, I don't think I should increase his worries. I just hope that this student doesn't find out what he could do by manipulating magic like in this way. If he does, I hope he recognizes the dangers involved and whatever the gains are that they are not worth the cost. _

--

Susan looked at her calendar and smiled for the hundredth time that day. "Yes, tomorrow is Harry's lesson. It felt like this day would never arrive," Susan said to herself.

While she was looking forward to Harry's lesson, Susan had another reason for being glad that Harry had suggested the tutoring sessions. She remembered how Harry was at the end of the last term. Something had happened to Harry that seemed to be weighting him down. She hadn't approached him at that time because they were distant friends at best. Susan had sensed that whatever Harry had on his mind was very personal in nature and she didn't feel it was appropriate for her to approach Harry with her concerns. However, the incident involving Malfoy and his gang on the train had dispelled her worries. The smile Harry wore after he had thanked her and the others for their help didn't appear to be from a person suffering.

Then her aunt had come home after meeting with Harry and Susan's worries returned and increased in their intensity. Even though her aunt seemed composed, Susan could tell something about the meeting was bothered her aunt. The way she began to say something about Harry contradicting the thought of him being a professor worried Susan. It didn't sound like Harry was refusing the idea because he wanted to do something else.

_No, it sounded as if it wasn't an option for Harry anymore_, Susan thought. _Harry, whatever is bothering you, please let me help._ After this final thought, Susan turned over and tried to sleep.

--

The founders were currently basking in the afterglow of reviewing and discussing the research done by Dumbledore's pupil. Dumbledore had stayed for several hours before leaving to discuss the research with his faculty members.

"Helga, is something wrong?" Godric asked from his chair.

"Yes, you were quiet during the discussion," Rowena asked in a tone that was full of concern. Though she was a bit snobbish when it came to academic matters, it could not be said that Rowena Ravenclaw didn't care for her friends. This was especially true when it came to Helga Hufflepuff whom Rowena considered a sister.

Helga nervously shifted in her seat. "I'm worried about what could result from that research," Helga finally blurted after several minutes of silence.

Rowena and Godric almost chuckled, each having a desire to ask Helga if she had been in the same room while they had discussed the research. However, Helga's face held an expression of complete seriousness and a hint of worry.

"What's wrong dear?" Rowena asked as she leaned forward and grasped Helga's hand.

"I'm somewhat surprised that you two haven't seen it," Helga said. "It's understandable why Dumbledore didn't see this since people stopped not long after we left this world and people forgot about within one hundred years."

"Please stop dodging the issue, Helga," Godric said. His voice was calm but still conveyed his irritation. "A great many of practices and pursuits were abandoned and forgotten during our lives or soon after we passed away. Remember that we lived in a period of enlightenment. A great many aspects of magic from the ancient wizards and witches were being uncovered and vast quantities of new aspects of magic were being discovered."

"Godric, focus on the pursuit of increasing a person's magical abilities," Helga said.

"Ah yes, that was a popular topic of study. However, I don't see a connection between increasing one's power and this young man's research. The basic of his research concerns the manipulation magic on a basic…" As he spoke the last statement, Godric's mouth fell open and his eyes went wide.

Rowena was slowly losing her patience being left out of the conversation and being the last one to figure out what was bothering Helga. "What are you two talking about?" she demanded.

"Rowena, think about it. What did the young man's notes tie magic at such a fundamental level was tied to?" Helga asked calmly.

Rowena closed her eyes and bent her head slightly. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open and her expression mirrored Godric's. "Oh my god Helga, you aren't suggesting…" Rowena stopped speaking when Helga nodded. Rowena's hand rose and covered her mouth in horror. "Surely he wouldn't use his research to do such a thing…" her voice faltered and she was unable to continue. Her eyes fell on Godric who seemed to know the boy's nature well.

Godric was resting his chin on his hands which he had clasped. Taking a breath, he began to speak. "The unfortunate answer is yes, I believe that he will discover the connection and exploit it. The boy is prophesied to be the only person who can kill the dark wizard who is currently at large. I got the impression that the boy didn't care how he went about doing it. Yes, I have no doubt the boy will use his research in this way," Godric finished with a sigh.

The silence that followed Godric's report about Harry was oppressive. The only reason the founders didn't fold under the pressure was the fact that they were in a painting. Each founder was lost in their worry for Dumbledore prized pupil.

"Should we tell Dumbledore about this?" Helga finally asked. Her question was directed at Godric since he knew both Dumbledore and the boy better than her and Rowena.

Godric sighed deeply. "No, I don't think we should tell Dumbledore. Since I have no doubt that young Harry will discover what potential the research holds, I also know that there will be no way to prevent him from using it. I don't think that we need to add anymore worries to Dumbledore. He has his hand full with the current dark lord," Godric said.

--

"Holy shit, it worked," Harry exclaimed as he stood and stared at the massive section of the quarry that he had just blown up. The shockwave had forced him to crouch or else he would have been blown off his feet. "It worked! It really worked!"

Ignoring the slight twitching of his right hand, Harry started doing a dance that vaguely resembled a jig. However, he soon stopped as he remembered something.

"Ah hell," Harry said as he quickly cast a shield spell as tons of rocks crashed down around him and quickly covered him. Once Harry was sure all the rocks had finished obeying the laws of gravity, he began expanding his shield until it broke through to the air. Dispelling his shield, Harry pulled himself from the hole.

"I think I should have vaporized the rocks instead of blowing them up. Thank God for that shield spell," Harry said as he surveyed the area. Chuckling to himself, Harry glanced at his watch. "Hmm, maybe that's enough for tonight. I have to meet Susan tomorrow for the lesson." As he said this to himself, Harry was surprised that he didn't mind taking a break from work to give the lessons. "Besides, I have a feeling that the local cops will be swarming this area soon."

Right before he was about to Apparate back home, Harry had a sudden thought. _This might throw off any instrument that Dumbledore might have monitoring me,_ Harry thought. A few seconds later, he felt his mirror begin to vibrate and heat up. Pulling it out, Harry tapped it with his wand, and Dumbledore's head appeared in the mirror.

"Professor, is something wrong?" Harry asked innocently.

"Are you all right Harry?" Dumbledore's head asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine sir," Harry said. "Why do you ask?"

Dumbledore head shook itself. "Don't worry about it. I just got a funny feeling," it said.

Harry resisted the urge to smile as his suspicions were confirmed. "All right then Professor, good night," Harry said. After terminating the call, Harry Apparated back to his room.

--

Hermione waved her wand over the ancient book that she was currently reading, carefully drying the wet spots from her tears. She had learned that she could perform magic at Grimmauld Place and not get caught by the Ministry. Ever since Harry had said 'Good bye,' she had been crying almost constantly. In an effort to avoid thinking about Harry, Hermione buried herself in the multitude of books that the Black house held.

For the majority of time, this tactic work but every so often, she would come across something that reminded her of Harry and her tears would begin to stream again.

"Ouch," Hermione moaned as the pain that had begun to hurt a few days ago in her abdomen flared. This time the pain causes her to double over. "_Medicamentum_," She gasped, her wand pointed at the source of the pain. A numbing sensation spread from her wand tip, ending the pain temporarily.

--

--

Author's Notes

The song I mentioned is "Target Audience (Narcissus Narcosis)" by Marilyn Manson off the Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death) album.

The "arrogance is earned" statement made by Harry I got from an episode of "House". (The episode is "The Jerk" and is in the third season.)


	10. Lessons

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer:

"5 out of 5 dentists agree that Lestat doesn't own any part of the Harry Potter universe except for the original ideas found in this story," Harry said to the crowd of readers. "He especially takes credit for the kick ass spells he has me develop."

"The one time those damn dentists all agree on something is on this issue," Lestat moaned.

"Yes, it is a real pity. You're making me into a serious bad ass. Unlike the canon, I'm not a whiny little bitch," Harry said as he patted Lestat on the back.

"Well, I am making you act more grown up."

"That is just because you hate kids."

Lestat looked up with a smirk. "It could be worse; Rowling could've made you like Naruto."

Harry blanched. "That would be almost as bad as slash stories. Please, you'll let yourself be inspired by _Gantz_," Harry said with an imploring expression. "Th at would really make me bad ass."

"That's not a bad idea," Lestat replied. _Idiot, doesn't he know what happens to the vast majority of characters in Gantz? _Lestat thought. "Enjoy this chapter my patient readers!"

"How about your draw some ideas from _Berserk_ too?" Harry asked with a smile.

"Now you're just being greedy."

Chapter 10

Lessons

_Damn paperwork is going to be the death of me_, Kingsley thought angrily as he tried to concentrate on the work that covered his desk. He was startled out of his thoughts by the vibration of his Order mirror. After he gave the mirror a tap from his wand, Kingsley was surprised to see Harry's head appear.

"Harry, what can I do for you?" Kingsley asked.

"It's about my Krav Maga lessons. I think that I have learned enough from you and that it's time for me to start training on my own and develop my own style. I am thankful for your teaching and guidance," Harry's head said with a smile. "Could you tell Tonks about his too?'

"Sure thing Harry," Kingsley said. "Just remember to balance the speed and power of your strikes; that was the one area that you have had any trouble with. It was a pleasure having you as a student."

Harry's head snorted. "There's a phrase I'll never hear from Snape. Talk to you later."

"Bye Harry," Kingsley said as he terminated the call. He had meant what he has said that it had been a pleasure to instruct someone as talented as Harry even if it felt as if Harry had gotten colder and more distant. Kingsley didn't mind because he had help Harry become a strong enemy of He-Who-Must-not-Be-Named and his Death Eaters.

As he was putting the mirror back in his pocket, Kingsley spotted Tonks. "Hey Tonks, over here," he called

"What's up Kingsley?" Tonks asked.

"I just got a call from Harry. He feels that he has progressed far enough in his Krav Maga training that it might be best for him just to practice with the training dummy so he can polish his style," Kingsley said. His tone mirrored one a parent might use when sending their child off to their first year of college: happy and proud but sad.

However, he was surprised when Tonks's face fell more than he expected. She looked almost like a person who had lost their best friend. A movement caught Kingsley's eye. Glancing down, he saw Tonks fiddling with a ring on her finger that he had never seen before.

"Is that so," Tonks commented; her tone matched her affect. She turned away from Kingsley and began to walk to her own desk. "See you later Kingsley."

_I knew that Harry and Tonks had become close but not this close_, Kingsley thought. He made a mental note to offer to take Tonks for a few rounds at a local pub later.

--

Susan had arrived ten minutes early and currently was leaning against the front of the Rusty Nail. As she waited for Harry, she started watching the clouds float by.

"I think that looks like a snitch," a familiar voice said. The voice was right in her ear and nearly made her jump out of her skin.

"Damn it Harry, don't sneak up on me like that!" Susan exclaimed.

"Sorry about that," Harry said. The smile he wore clearly said he wasn't sorry at all.

Susan punched his arm. "All right, let's get going before you decide to try something else like that," she said before she walked off.

"Hey Susan, why is this place called the Rusty Nail?" Harry asked as he stared at the pristine pub and its bright white exterior. "It's hard to imagine a more inappropriate name for the place."

"Local folklore says that when it was built the owner only had rusty nails," Susan said. "I guess they might have kept the name to give it a little color."

"Interesting," Harry said as he picked up a suitcase. "Well, then lead on to your home."

"What's the suitcase for?" Susan asked as they walk out of the town.

"There's a boggart inside. Dumbledore got it for me. I told him I wanted one for my lessons with you," Harry said. "This way you get learn to cast your Patronus 'under fire' so to speak. What's the use of being able to cast a corporeal Patronus if you can't do it while facing a dementor? However, I don't think that we'll get to that point today."

"But my boggart doesn't turn into a dementor," Susan said.

"Oh, I believe I can make it so that it--," Harry started but was interrupted as someone grabbed him.

"Give me all you money and drop the case," a rough voice hissed. Susan turned and Harry looked over his shoulder to see a large man in dark clothes. He stood in the shadow a tree near Harry.

"Please take your hand off of my person," Harry said calmly. "We don't have anything of value."

"That's bullshit kid. Those are some nice clothes you're wearing. You must be loaded," the man said as he indicated the polo shirt and khaki pants that Harry was wearing. As the man made the remark, Susan noticed how…preppy Harry looked.

"Thanks, I like these clothes too. Now, please take your hand off of me or I will remove it for you," Harry said in the same calm voice.

Susan was amazed at how calm Harry was acting. _That man must be at least six inches taller than Harry and yet he is acting like it's nothing!_ Susan thought.

"Susan, pay attention to what I am about to do. If someone grabs you, this is how you should react. First go for the weakest finger, the thumb," Harry said. As he said this, Harry grabbed the man's thumb and began to bend it back against the joint. The man cried out in pain and feel to his knees. "Grab the thumb with your whole hand and bend it back at the joint where the thumb meets the hand. As you can see, this is a very effective way to stop an attack and subdue an attacker. This man is probably at least six inches taller than me and outweighs me by at least fifty pounds yet I can immobilize him with this simple method.

"If I needed to, I could dislocate this man's thumb or even break it. He also is open to just about any attack that I might wish to launch. However," Harry said coolly as he looked down at the man, "I doubt that I need to do anything more than this. Isn't that right?" Harry asked, putting a little more pressure on the joint. The man shook his head emphatically. "Good. The next time you try to rob somebody you would do well to remember how easily I brought you to your knees."

The man nodded, and Harry released his thumb. Cradling his injured hand, the man ran off into the woods. Harry stifled a yawn. "Well, time's a wasting; let's get to your house to start your lessons," he said.

Susan just nodded, looking a little shocked.

Harry sighed. "I have been training this summer. One of the things I have learned is how fight without magic. I thought that might be a nice lesson for you if you ever find yourself in a similar situation," Harry said. He was a little angry at Susan's reaction.

Susan quickly shook herself. "No, I wasn't mad about that lesson or anything like that," she said quickly. "It just that—that guy was huge! He was bigger than Crabbe or Goyle, yet you subdued him as if he was a first year!"

Harry chuckled and began walking again. Susan soon fell into step beside him. "For second there I thought you were scared of me or something," Harry said.

"I was scare _for_ you," Susan said. "As I said, that guy was huge and you have never been one of the biggest guys around."

"I know that all too well. When I walked into the room where the other Tri-Wizard champions were, one of the first thoughts to enter my mind was how tall they were. However, that is changing. Here, feel this," Harry said as he flexed his bicep. Susan's eyes went slightly wide when she felt the rock hard muscle that was much larger than it appeared.

"You've been busy," Susan said. As she took in the size of Harry's muscle, she also noticed that he seemed to be a couple of inches taller than when she last saw him.

Harry chuckled again at her inadvertent understatement. "Yeah, you could say that," Harry said with a smile.

Glancing over at Susan, he saw that she too was smiling. For some reason, her bright smile seemed to clear his mind. This puzzled Harry, as he didn't feel like his mind was clouded by anything. As he thought more about it, the strange feeling of clarity was akin to how Tonks made him feel.

However, these thoughts were interrupted as Harry's right arm twitched as the muscles in it rapidly quivered. He stared at his arm as it continued to twitch with a frown. Various reasons for the strange episode floated through his mind. When nothing plausible came to him, Harry shook the thoughts away. By this time, the strange twitch had stopped. He mentally shook his head and kept walking.

"Is that your place?" Harry asked as he spotted a house in the distance.

"Yep," Susan said. "That's home."

Harry briefly considered Apparating the pair the rest of the distance but decided to enjoy the beautiful day. Even though the silence felt comfortable, Harry decided to end it.

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" He asked.

"Yes, it is a gorgeous day," Susan said. "Actually, it has been an unusually nice summer so far."

"Has it? I have been inside for most of it," Harry said before a puzzled look swept over his face. "Didn't you use to wear your hair in a plait?"

A faint blush appeared on Susan's cheeks. _Harry actually noticed that I changed my hairstyle!_ She thought excitedly. "Yeah, but I cut it. I had worn my hair in a plait for almost my entire life and decided to change it," Susan said with a shrug.

"It looks nice," Harry said. _Sirius was right when he said compliment a girl's hair_, Harry thought as he observed her reaction.

"Thank you," Susan replied with a smile as she pushed a loose strand behind an ear. "So, how are you going to make my boggart a dementor instead of—what normally is?"

"I'll tell you later. A Patronus requires happy thoughts, and what I have to tell you to make you afraid of dementors could get in the way," Harry said. He decided not to pry into what Susan's boggart might be; if she didn't want to tell him, he wouldn't force her.

"All right," Susan said. She could see the logic in Harry's plan but was curious as to what he could say that would make dementors her worse fear.

By this time, they had reached Susan's home. It was a modest two-story brick house that had rows of deep red and bright yellow tulips that framed the foundation except for the front, which had knee-high bushes that were bursting with bright red roses. The straight rows of flowers, evenly trimmed grass, and carefully pruned bushes gave the house a very neat feel. However, unlike the unwelcoming neatness of the Dursleys, this house had warmth that was akin to what the Burrow had. It was a true home.

_The only way you could call Number Four a home is if you have never seen a place like this, _Harry idly thought.

"Nice garden," Harry said. "Is that your handy work?"

"Yes, how did you know?" Susan asked.

"Well, it was kind of an educated guess. Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs often have Herbology together, and I remembered that you are quite good at it," Harry said.

Susan blushed at the compliment. "Well, it is a fun subject," she replied.

"Do you need anything from inside?" Harry asked. "I think it will be easier if we conduct the lesson outside."

"Nope, I'm ready to begin," Susan said eagerly.

"Good, now why don't you walk me through the steps that you go through as you cast the spell and then actually cast it," Harry said as he dropped the suitcase containing the boggart.

"Well, I focus on the memory and then say '_Expecto Patronum'_," Susan said. Pointing her wand, she cried, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

A thin grayish-silver mist shot out of her wand and quickly dissipated. Harry smiled as Susan got a glum look on her face.

"All right, let's break down your process. If you don't mind, could you tell me what memory you are using?" Harry asked.

"It's this time in Charms when I was the first person in the class to pull off a new spell and Flitwick awarded me forty house points for it," Susan said, smiling at the memory.

"Yes, that is a fine memory," Harry said. "However, I'm not sure if it is strong enough."

"It worked before," Susan said. "That was the memory I used in the D.A. session."

"Well, I think one reason why Hogwarts is a good place to learn magic is that the castle is already full of magic. Some of the 'environmental magic' enters into spells cast in the castle there by enhancing the spells," Harry said. "The environmental magic acts as a crutch for students until they get a solid understanding of controlling their magic."

"Well, that makes sense in a confidence crushing sort of way," Susan said unhappily.

"Do you have a good relationship with your aunt?"

"Yes, we are pretty close," Susan said.

"All right, I want you to think of a memory of just the two of you. You can be doing anything in it. The only requirement is that you feel the sense of closeness or, if you can, a distinct feeling of love," Harry said. "When you think of it, I want you to try casting the charm again."

Susan nodded and closed her eyes. After a few minutes, she raised her wand and said, "_Expecto Patronum!_"

A bright, thick sliver mist shot out of Susan's wand. It hung before Susan for a few minutes before it slowly disappeared.

"Much better," Harry said. "I have found that for this charm the most potent memories are ones that center on very positive emotions, specifically love, towards another person.

"Now, to strengthen your Patronus, you really focus on your memory as you are casting the charm. You want to feel as if you are actually pushing the memory through your wand and out in front of you. Try this now," Harry said.

A look of intense concentration crossed Susan's face as she cried, "_Expecto Patronum_!"

This time, an indistinct four-legged animal burst forth from Susan's wand.

"Very good Susan," Harry said. "You are progressing quicker than I did."

"Didn't you say that the way Professor Lupin taught you was to put you in front of a boggart that had become a dementor?" Susan asked.

"Well, yeah," Harry said.

"Well then of course I am getting it quicker than you—" Susan started to say but stopped when Harry held up his hand.

"Susan, just accept the compliment," Harry said with a slight smile. "Now try it again."

For the next few hours, Susan continued to practice the charm and each time the shape of the animal became more defined. Harry watched as Susan began to show signs of fatigue.

"All right, that enough for now," Harry said around three o'clock. "As Lupin told me, this is a very advanced charm. It puts an enormous strain on a person's body and can easily wear you out. I have a feeling that you have just about reached your limit."

Susan looked slightly disappointed at Harry's statement.

"Don't worry, it won't always be this hard. Once you actually cast a corporeal Patronus then it becomes easier each time. You will find that you will not have to focus on the memory as hard, and it doesn't have to be as vivid. It can become more abstract.

"For instance, instead of focusing on a particular memory with your aunt, you will only have to picture her to cast the charm," Harry said. "Actually, the more experience you have with this charm, you will be able conjure a Patronus based on idea instead of an actual memory."

"Really?" Susan asked with interest. "Are you serious?"

"No, I'm Harry," Harry joked before dodging a smack from Susan for the lame joke. "But yes, I am serious. I have no conscious memories of my parents. I'll explain what I mean by that later," Harry said as he saw Susan become perplexed. "Anyways, I just have photos of them playing with me. From those I make up a situation where I interacted with my parents and conjure a Patronus. Watch," Harry said.

Clearing his throat, Harry said, "_Expecto_—." However, before he could complete the incantation, Harry suddenly felt the muscles in his chest and neck tighten and found he couldn't breathe.

_What the hell! _Harry thought as he fell to his knees, clutching his throat. _What the hell is going on? _Harry threw his arms out to catch himself as he began to fall forward. It was then that he noticed the grass around him swaying as if they were caught in a strong breeze. _So that is what's going on._

Susan had been avidly attentive to Harry's explanation. When he said that he was going to conjure his Patronus, she almost squealed in anticipation; she had heard from her aunt that Harry's Patronus was a stag and was excited to see how a proper and powerful Patronus looked.

However, her excited turned to terror as she saw Harry grasp his throat and fall to his knees. She started to rush over to him when she felt something radiating from him. _What is this? It feels…It feels like pure magic,_ Susan thought though she didn't really understand the thought.

Suddenly Susan saw Harry grasp his right wrist. His right hand had started to shudder and glow with a bright, silver light. His fingers were bent inward at rigid angles and the muscles in his forearm were flexed to the point the veins bulged.

"Susan, stay back," Harry growled as his hand began to glow so bright that Susan couldn't look straight at it. Harry swiftly jumped to his feet and sprinted until he was about fifty feet away from Susan.

Susan felt the hairs on the back neck stir as she watched Harry slam his palm onto the ground. Susan covered her eyes as a blinding flash spread out from where Harry knelt. A second later she was almost knocked off her feet as a shockwave slammed into her. She kept her eyes covered as she felt bits of dirt pelt her. After a few seconds of not being hit by dirt, Susan uncovered her eyes. Smoke was billowing around the area where Harry had been, obscuring him from view.

"Harry!" Susan screamed. She started to sprint to where she had last seen Harry as a lead weight settled in her stomach. As she neared the area, the smoke began to clear. Her heart leapt and the weight in her stomach lessened as she saw Harry in the center of a large crater that stretched at least five feet in diameter.

As she came closer, she could see his shoulders heaving. A light smoke was wafting up from where Harry's hand met the ground. It had lost the silver glow. Shaking slightly, Harry stood up.

"Are you all right Harry?" Susan asked.

Harry was still having a hard time getting his breathing under control. "Ye-yeah, I'm f-f-fine now," he said as he turned towards Susan.

"What happened?"

Harry had finally slowed his breathing to a more normal rate. "I think what just happened was the side effect of a spell I recently created. The magic generated by the spell left too much magic in my body, specifically in my chest and neck for some reason. The Patronus charm triggered a reaction of sorts. The end result was the magic got agitated and it started to compress my lungs and throat. To remedy this, I pushed the magic out of my body through my hand. Pure magic causes very, eh, energetic reactions, hence the big crater," Harry said. He wiped some sweat from his brow.

"Anyways, I have a slight burn on my hand from where I gathered and released the magic. Other than that, I am perfectly fine. However, I think I'm about to pass out so would you be so kind as to catch-," Harry said as he slumped forward.

Susan lunged forward in order to catch Harry. Staggering under his weight, she toddled back to her house. As she reached the door, she shifted so Harry's weight was more on one side to free a hand. Once inside Susan dragged Harry upstairs to her room and dropped him on her bed. Harry fell onto his back with his limbs forming odd angles. It was as she was looking at Harry that she mentally smacked herself.

"Why did I bring him up here? I should've dropped him on the couch in the den," Susan said. "Instead I dragged him upstairs and gave him my bed to sleep on. You're a real pain Harry Potter."

"You damn right," came a muttered replied.

Susan's eyes widen. She was about to say something when soft snores reached her ears. Moving closer to the bed, Susan had to stifle a giggle when she saw the face Harry made as he slept with his mouth half open. The expression combined with the weird arrangement of his limbs created an amusing scene. She wished she had a camera.

Susan suddenly remembered that Harry had said that his hand had been burned. Kneeling next to the bed, she gingerly took his right hand and began to inspect the palm. A few blisters dotted the bright red burn that spanned his palm but not his fingers. Leaving the room, Susan headed to her bathroom where she took a salve that would heal the burn along with some gauze and some disinfectant.

When Susan got back to her room, she went straight to Harry's hand. She gently washed the burn with the disinfectant. When Harry's palm twitched as the stinging liquid touched his hand, Susan lightly blew on it to ease the sting. She then carefully rubbed the salve into the raw red skin. Finally, Susan gently wrapped the burned hand in gauze.

After returning the leftover disinfectant, gauze, and salve to the bathroom, Susan returned to her room. She then went to work trying to make Harry as comfortable as possible. After rearranging his limbs, Susan slipped off his shoes and glasses before she covered him with a blanket.

"Sweet dreams Harry," Susan said as she left the room.

A few hours later, Susan was sitting in her room reading a book when she heard the front door open and close. Quietly, she set her book down and left her room to greet her aunt.

"Auntie, you're home early," Susan said.

"Well, there is only so much arrogant stupidity a person can endure before she starts blasting everything to bits. I decided to come home before I did that," Amelia said. "So, how was Harry's lesson?"

"Well, it went pretty well. I think I am very close to a corporeal Patronus, I think, but Harry stopped me because he didn't want me to try too hard and pass out from the effort. Ironically, that sort of happened to Harry," Susan said in an amused tone. Although witnessing Harry battling his magic was frightening, now that Susan looked back at it she found the irony quite funny.

"What do you mean?" Amelia asked quickly.

"Well, Harry said that he would show me that the more you cast the Patronus charm, the easier it gets, and you can use more and more abstract ideas to power the Patronus rather than concrete memories.

"As he was casting the charm, Harry suddenly sort of seized up and had trouble breathing. After a minute of this, Harry ran off and slammed his hand into the ground. He created quite a crater. After that he passed out from using too much magic," Susan said.

"Why didn't you notify me?" Amelia questioned angrily. "He could've needed medical attention."

"Because Harry explained what happened was a result of a new spell he created and that he had too much magic in his body for his system to handle. When he tried to cast the Patronus, Harry said that the spell agitated the excess magic which had gathered in his chest and neck. Harry expelled the excess magic through his hand into the ground. He passed out a few minutes after explaining this to me. I dragged him back here and treated a burn on his palm. He is currently sleeping in my room," Susan finished.

"Why is he in your room? It would have been much easier to lay him on the couch," Amelia stated.

"Yeah, I realized that after I had dropped him on my bed," Susan with a chuckle.

--

_Harry sat frozen in fear as two snakes slithered up his body and towards his face. The fear paralyzed his body and left him helpless against the snakes. As their diamond-shaped heads came level with Harry's face, one flicked its forked tongue a couple of times; it seemed to savor the fear Harry radiated. The other slowly moved its head until it was close to Harry's ear and flicked its tongue. As the smooth tongue caressed his ear, Harry shuddered violently. _

_Suddenly, the snake near Harry's ear lunged forward. As Harry felt it forced it smooth body through his ear into his brain, he screamed. The other snake lunged at Harry's open mouth and forced its thick round body down Harry's throat; Harry gagged violently but could not kept the snake from its trip down Harry's throat. _

_Somehow the snake that had forced itself down Harry's throat coiled around his heart as the other snake coiled around his brain. Within seconds, they both began to squeeze…_

Harry's eyes flew open as he sat up. He panted as he put a hand on his chest and felt his heart racing. However, he also felt that there weren't any snakes in his body. Even though he had had it repeatedly over the summer, the dream always caused him to experience the same terror and sensations of snakes; usually, he also felt blood-boiling rage. However, unlike other times, Harry didn't feel a sense of rage in the aftermath of this dream.

As he slowed his breathing and the adrenaline wore off, Harry suddenly felt incredibly weak. He was also slightly disoriented; he didn't recognize the room and couldn't make out any details because someone had taken off his glasses.

"Oh good, you're finally awake," a slightly familiar voice said. Harry quickly turned and squinted in the direction of the voice. He couldn't make out any details of the person without his glasses except that the person was clearly female based on her body shape. However, the reason why he was waking up in a strange room came rushing back to him along with a throbbing headache.

"Where am I?" Harry asked as he held his head. He had finally recognized that the voice belonged to Susan.

"My room," Susan replied. "Here are your glasses."

Harry took his glasses and put them on. Shaking his head slightly, Harry looked at Susan. She was wearing a green t-shirt and a pair of faded jeans. "Weren't you wearing a white shirt and shorts earlier?" Harry asked. The headache was clouding his vision so he missed the faint blush on Susan's cheeks.

"Yes, that's what I wore yesterday," Susan said with a smile.

"Yesterday? How long was I out for?" Harry asked quickly.

Susan looked at her watch. "About twenty-seven hours."

Harry checked his watch and saw that the date had advanced and it was almost seven o'clock. "Damn," he said as another thought occurred to him. "Wait, if this is your room, where did you sleep last night?"

"I cuddled up to you of course," Susan said trying not to laugh. She had no idea why she was teasing Harry. She barely knew him, yet she was playing a trick like this on him. Susan almost lost her cool as she saw Harry's eyes go wide.

"Co-come again," Harry stuttered after a few minutes.

Susan decided to run with the joke for as long as she could. "I said I cuddled up to your nice, warm body. Your chest makes a really good pillow," Susan said with sly smile.

Harry was stunned at this revelation. He had barely had one date before yet here was a girl who claimed that they had slept together. A small part of Harry was disappointed that he didn't remember anything. However, Harry could barely acknowledge this feeling as his brain had stopped working. His confusion was only increased as Susan collapsed in a fit of giggles.

"I'm just kidding. I slept in a guest room," Susan said. "Now, if you feel up to it, dinner will be ready in a second."

Harry nodded. "Do you have a cane or something that I use to walk with? I feel a little unsteady. I would conjure something but I don't feel well enough to," Harry said. _Thankfully, that monster headache is almost gone,_ he silently added.

"Yeah, just a second," Susan said as she disappeared from the room. Harry heard a closet open and items being shuffled. Susan reappeared carrying a cane. "Here you go," Susan said as she tossed the crutch to Harry.

Harry, however, didn't have the strength to catch it. The cane collided with his head and he fell backwards onto the bed. Susan gasped as she saw that she had knocked out Harry.

"Harry, please be all right," Susan said as she kneeled on the bed next to Harry. She began to lightly slap Harry's cheeks in an effort to wake him up.

"Boo!" Harry yelled as his eyes flew opened.

Susan screamed and fell off the bed as Harry started laughing. Looking over the edge, he saw an extremely angry Susan; he could almost make out the flames of anger burning in her eyes.

"Damn ass monkey," Susan muttered angrily.

"Ass monkey?" Harry asked with an amused smile. "What's an 'ass monkey'?"

"Oh shut up Potter," Susan said as she got to her feet. "Well, dinner should be ready."

"Sounds good," Harry said as he too got to his feet. When he took a step, Harry found that he truly needed the cane; his legs felt like they had been hit by a weak Jelly-Legs hex.

Both teens were lost in thought as they headed down the stairs. Susan wondered why she was acting so familiarly with Harry and him with her. While she didn't mind the teasing, the ease at which it came puzzled her, especially Harry's teasing; in the past, he had always been somewhat distant with people that he wasn't very close to, and Susan knew that she was in that group. It was as she remembered his last prank that Susan recalled something odd. When Harry's eyes opened, she noticed faint streaks of silver in his stunning green eyes.

At the same time, Harry wondered about why he was acting so cheerful and carefree. He was supposed to be hardening his heart but he always seemed to be forming new and very strong bonds: First Tonks and now Susan. He decided to purged these thoughts from his mind for now and return to them later.

As they entered the dining room, Harry saw Amelia sitting at the table, apparently waiting for them.

"Ah Harry, I'm happy you decided to wake up," Amelia said. "I was about to contact Madam Pomfrey and have her come check you out."

"I don't think that would have been good for my health Minister," Harry said with a smile. "I have a feeling that she might have killed me."

As Harry smiled at the Minister, he saw her eyes contract slightly as a thought ran through her mind. Harry then saw that her eyes shifted slightly from looking at him to looking at Susan before they returned back to his face.

"Harry, I told you to call me Amelia," she said.

"I know, but we are in the company of others," Harry replied.

"Well, no one important is around so it is basically just us," Amelia said, managing to keep a straight face in spite of the look of outrage on her niece's face.

"What do you mean by that Auntie?" Susan shrieked. The laugh that followed only increased her anger.

"Harry, take note of how easy it is to tease my lovable but exceedingly gullible niece," Amelia said with a laugh. Harry wisely answered with just a small nod and a smile.

For the next few hours, Harry enjoyed exchanging small talk with Susan and Amelia. As his life since he had rejoin the magical community was well documented and he didn't want to talk about his childhood, Harry mainly heard stories about Susan. Harry grinned each time Amelia recalled embarrassing incidents that involved Susan. Harry noticed that Amelia's pleasure when she embarrassed her niece bordered on sadistic. Susan seemed to roll with the jokes and managed to pull a few of her own on her aunt that Harry found quite humorous.

After dinner, Amelia retired to her room. Susan suggested that she and Harry get some air. After they walked a distance from the house, Susan sat down while Harry laid down and stretched out his sore muscles. They both stared up at the multitude of stars in silence for a few minutes.

"It's nice to watch the stars and not having the view marred by having to memorize something or another," Harry said.

"Too true," Susan replied. After another minute of silence, Susan asked, "Harry, something has been bothering me since you had that reaction that caused me to carry your heavy butt up to my bed. You said the Patronus Charm was the cause of the reaction. However, you had Apparated a couple of times before that. Why didn't they cause the reaction?"

"Well, Apparition isn't as taxing on a person's system as the Patronus Charm," Harry said.

The two teens were silent for a few minutes. Susan finally asked, "Harry, can I ask you a personal question?"

"Sure but I reserve the right not to answer," Harry replied in a guarded tone.

"At the end of the last semester, you seemed to withdraw from everyone even Ron and Hermione. Though you hid it well, I could tell something had happened during or after you and your friends went to Ministry that night. What happened?" Susan asked. She looked over at Harry and saw that he had tensed up. However, she couldn't see his expression because his face was hidden in a shadow.

"What the hell, I'll tell you what happened," Harry said after a minute.

Susan turned her body so that she facing Harry.

"Part of the reason I acted like that is what happened during the battle. You see, my godfather, the only caring family I had ever known, was killed. The ironic thing is I was tricked into going to the Ministry to save him from Voldemort," Harry said. Out the corner of his eye, Harry saw that Susan had no overt reaction to him when he said Voldemort name.

Susan wanted to say something comforting about the death of his godfather but thought that she shouldn't, at least not at the moment. "Something else happened, after the battle, didn't it," Susan said instead.

"Yeah, you could say that," Harry replied. "After the fight, Dumbledore told me why Voldemort is so obsessed with me, and why he tried to kill me when I was a baby."

Susan's gut told her that Harry was about to reveal something very important so she shut everything else out and just focused on his voice.

"You see, there was a prophecy about me. Believe it or not, Trelawney was the one who made the prophecy. This is how it goes:

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches,_

_Born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies,_

_And the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not_

_And either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives_

_The One with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies._"

After Harry finished reciting the words that changed his life, the two teens fell into silence. Harry didn't feel like saying anything, and Susan was trying to organize her thoughts.

"So that means that the only person who is able to defeat Voldemort is you," Susan said after a few minutes.

Harry felt a small smile appear on his face. "Impressive, you said Voldemort," Harry said. "You said in your letter that you were able to write it but not say it yet."

Susan shrugged. "After I found out that you going to tutor me in person, I resolved to be able to say it without hesitation before you showed up yesterday. You are kind of famous for never being afraid to say 'Voldemort' despite having him personally desiring you dead. I figured that since you're taking the time to tutor me that I should at least be able to learn that lesson."

"That's good. It's unfortunate that you and your Aunt are a rare breed amongst wizards and witches; the rest of the population is made up sheep that willingly live in ignorance and archaic traditions.

"Returning to the more pressing topic, yes, I am supposedly the only one who can defeat Voldemort. It also means that the reason he killed my parents was because of me," Harry said.

"However, that doesn't explain why you seemed to distance yourself from everyone, including Ron and Hermione," Susan said.

"Well, one reason is that way of living comes naturally to me," Harry replied. As he said that, he began to wonder why he was being so open with this girl. Sure he had talked to Dudley about the battle but that had been merely to aid Harry's training. In this situation, there wouldn't be anything to gain by opening up. And his way of living was a line of thought he had only talked about with Hedwig. _I hardly know Susan and yet it is so easy to talk to her. I speak the words before even considering whether I should say them or not_.

"What do you mean that living like that comes naturally to you?" Susan asked perplexed. "Living how?"

"Living alone, being alone. That way of living has always been my way Susan," Harry said. "The first eleven years of my life I was basically shunned. My relatives treated me like a freak and never referred to me by my name. They still don't as a matter of fact," Harry added.

"What about Hogwarts and the rest of the magical world? I know that you were never alone whenever you're around other magical people." Susan said.

"Well, you might not know it but a person can be alone while surrounded by other people. Even with Ron and Hermione around, I still feel separate. That is an unknown side-effect of being a 'hero'," Harry said. "It creates a barrier between you and everyone else. People see what you have done instead of who you are. Even if it is something that I imagine, the barrier is real. The only human to have ever truly breached this barrier was my godfather Sirius. Other than him it was Hedwig.

"Anyways, I'm not really good at seeking other people's help with issues like dealing with Sirius's death," Harry continued. "The prophecy only made it feel like there was another barrier between me and everyone else.

"That is why I sought solitude. There's a saying that I heard somewhere, some guy named Lestat or something. He said 'It's better to be alone than alone in a crowd'. Being alone, by yourself, is a little less depressing than being alone in a crowd."

"Do you feel that way right now? Do you feel alone?" Susan asked.

Though she hid it well, Harry could feel the hurt in her voice.

After a minute of searching his feelings, Harry replied, "Actually, no, I don't feel alone right now." _And come to think about it, I don't feel the barrier as much when I'm with Tonks_, Harry thought. Once again he was awed by the power that these two females that he didn't know especially well made him act so far out-of-character.

"Well, I know that you can defeat him," Susan said after a minute of silence. "It's a feeling in my gut, and it goes against common sense. After all, he is the most powerful dark lord in a hundred years and has decades upon decades of a head start in magic than you.

"However, I still believe that you will beat him. As powerful as he is, you will become even more powerful. I don't believe this because of some naïve belief that good always triumphs over evil or that I am deluding myself with a false sense of hope. I truly believe that you will beat him. I think this belief comes from how I have seen you preserve no matter what," Susan finished with a smile.

Harry was feeling a bit befuddled. He didn't know whether to be angry at Susan implying that he was weak or that he was happy that someone believed in him to that extent. Harry wasn't sure if Dumbledore held that strong of belief, and Hermione seemed too broken to believe in anything at the moment. However, it didn't feel like the deadly blind faith that most of the Order had for Dumbledore. Harry was about to say something when Susan continued.

"That being said, I want to know how I can help you. I know that I won't be able to do much for you; I probably would only get in your way. I mean, I am just a Hufflepuff," Susan said quietly. She was surprised when Harry let out an angry sigh.

"Don't tell me you buy into that crap about Hufflepuff being second rate compared to the other houses. Don't forget that Cedric was a Hufflepuff. He beat all the people from the other houses to become the school champion. This is my take on the school houses.

"Slytherins are nothing but a bunch of pompous pricks that care for nothing except for themselves. Ravenclaws are too smart for their own good; they have a tendency to over think things and are a bit arrogant because of their intelligence. My fellow Gryffindors and I are too stupid to run away or give up.

"Hufflepuff is the most well-rounded of the four houses. You guys are loyal, smart, kind, and fierce when you have to be. I think it is better to have a slew of good qualities rather than one dominate one. You guys deserve more credit than you get," Harry said.

Susan hardly breathed. Never had she heard her house praised like that from someone other than the Dumbledore. What really surprised her was when Harry spoke it; he gave the little speech right after she implied that she would probably be useless to him.

_Harry Potter doesn't think that I'm a useless Hufflepuff,_ Susan thought, _the same Harry Potter who has fought Voldemort and his Death Eaters several times and survived. That has to count for something._

"Now, to answer your question, yes, you probably would get in my way if we fought together," Harry said and saw Susan slump a bit. "Of course, the only people who might not get in my way would be Dumbledore and some of the higher ranked Aurors. Yes, I think I have that much strength."

"Wow," Susan said in a voice full of awe.

"But what you can help me with is just live as normally as you can. Hopefully you can inspire others through your example. During the last war, people were terrified of Death Eaters and Voldemort. While that attitude wasn't illogical, the degree to which they took it was. The fear they radiated give the Death Eaters a rush and a sense of power. By laying down and taking the attacks, people gave Voldemort a kind of victory; he wanted to be seen as all-powerful and the people gave him that by being so cowardly they were afraid to say his name. Voldemort can easily kill a person but his made-up name can't do a damn thing. Voldemort and his Death Eaters are not invincible. They were held off by six Hogwarts students for a while.

"You can take away that victory by having people emulate you. Say 'Voldemort' around them as much as possible. You shouldn't expect to convince everyone; that would be impossible. However, the people that you do instill a little backbone will go home to their parents and the 'be scare but not bend-over-and-take-it scare' will spread. Understand?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Susan said. Her voice sounded firmer than Harry had ever heard; it exuded confidence

"Well, I better help you have bite behind your bark," Harry said. "While you master the Patronus, I'll teach you some spells you can easily master that are effective against enemies." Harry looked at his watch. "I think I'll take my leave now. I'll see you tomorrow at twelve o'clock."

"All right, I'll pick you up at the Rusty Nail," Susan said.

"Actually, I'll just Apparate to your house. Anti-Apparition wards aren't a barrier for me. Good night Susan," Harry said with a smirk. Susan just stared at him as he vanished silently.

--

As the two teens talked, Amelia was trying to sleep. However, her thoughts kept returning to Harry.

When she had spoken to him after that bore of a meeting, he had seemed cold and distant. While he was civil, his behavior rang false and felt forced. When she had read behind his affect, Amelia saw the barely repressed rage and malevolence that had appeared in their first meeting of the summer.

However, tonight he seemed genuinely warm and friendly.

_Susan's cheerfulness is infectious_, Amelia. Even after the worst days, Susan was always able to give Amelia a sense of peace. However, the difference between the Harry she had seen at the Order meeting and the Harry that she had just eaten with seemed to be two different people. While potent, Susan's cheerfulness could _not_ cause that amount of change.

_Something is definitely off with Harry_, Amelia thought just before she fell asleep

--

When Harry appeared in his bedroom, he began to wonder what the hell he was doing. He was supposed to be training to be a cold-blooded warrior who was going to wipe out Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Yet here he was preaching about the virtues of staying strong during this war, trading barbs, and offering to tutor Susan in how to protect herself?

"And where did that speech about the Houses come from? While fundamentally true, it made me feel so cliché." Harry paused. "What the hell kind of power do girls have that make me act like that? First the weird conversation with Tonks that ended with me promising to protect her (and me screwing up my wrist) and now this situation with Susan. Damn it, damn it, damn it," Harry said to himself. He didn't see Hedwig watching him with a glint of amusement in her amber eyes.

As he thought about the situation, his mind stepped away from the immediate issue of Susan so that it included more relationships. This act brought Tonks back to the forefront of Harry's mind. "Seriously, what the hell is with those two girls? With everyone else I'm able to carry out the plan of distancing myself. However, those two create a damn dichotomy for my social interactions. I act cold around everyone else but those two make me act… Damn it! I can't even think straight," Harry growled. "I wonder if Voldemort had something similar happen to him; it may have been the reason he turned to evil," Harry added in reflection.

"Well, to be honest, I don't hate those two or my interactions with them. They just drive me crazy.

"Ah well, might as well get together a list of spells for Susan," Harry said as he resigned himself to the fact that he probably would never find an answer to his problem with girls

He sat down at his desk and began making a list of good spells for Susan to learn. "_Percutere_ is a definite spell for her. _Sonus Fluctus, Flamen__, _and _Flamen Regio_ are also good spells. They don't do very much external damage so she wouldn't hesitate using them. I might as well give her a shield spell too," Harry said as he flipped through his notes. "Ah, _Cavere_ is a good one: easy yet strong."

After making the list, Harry leaned back in his chair and thought about what he had to do to prepare for his upcoming duel and what he might want to work on. He instantly crossed any sort of physical training for the immediate future, not wanting a repeat performance of what happened after that conversation with Tonks.

_Working out while you have women on the brain is a very bad idea,_ Harry thought; the memory of his sprained wrist kept him from chuckling at the observation.

After considering all the possibilities, Harry was surprised when the only thing that he needed to work on was the spell that caused him to pass out for thirty hours.

_Well, that and I need to follow up on the lead about dementors avoiding the United States magical community_, Harry thought._ There is still plenty of time before the duel. I also think it might be time to have a chat with Vigne._

Briefly stretching his arms before activating the _Ritual_ effects, Harry pulled out his notes on the troublesome spell and began trying to find a solution to the excess magic problem.

--

Hermione quickly turned away from the priceless book in front of her and vomited into the trash can that she had set next to her chair. As she emptied her stomach, her brain barely registered that the pain in her abdomen had lessened. After a minute, she rose from her position over that trash can and laid her head on the table next to her book and relished the cool comfort that it provided.

--

The next day, Susan sitting with her arms around her knees as she waited for Harry to show. She looked at her watch and saw that Harry was all ready five minutes late. She was eager to start her lesson. She ripped up more grass in her irritation and deposited it in the pile that was forming next to her right foot.

"Damn it Harry, where are you?" Susan asked the empty air in front of her.

Susan had her fingers wrapped around another blade of grass when she heard a bug buzzing around the back of her neck. She slowly raised her hand to swat the bug should it choose to land on her body. Suddenly the buzzing stopped and she felt the bug land on her skin. In a flash, her hand slapped down onto her neck. Both Susan's hand and neck stung from the slap. However, she heard the bug start buzzing again.

"Dumb bug," Susan growled as it landed on her again, this time right behind her ear. Once again Susan slapped her hand down and felt the familiar stinging left by her hand. This time she also felt something pop, and the area on her hand that had squashed the bug was covered by a viscous, smelly substance. Hesitantly, she looked at the spot on her hand. She found a large yellow smear that occupied the majority of her hand. As she studied it, a foul order reached her noise.

"What the heck kind of bug was that?" Susan asked as she looked around for her wand so that she could clean her hand. However, she couldn't find her wand. She thought it had been in her pocket but it wasn't there. Thinking it might have somehow fallen out of her pocket; she stood and looked around but still couldn't find it.

"Damn, where did it go?" Susan asked herself.

As she was looking she felt a tap on her left shoulder. Turning to her left, Susan didn't see anybody. She then felt a tapping on her right shoulder. Looking in that direction, she still didn't see anything. When she felt the tapping on her left shoulder again, she turned and looked behind her. However, her feet got tangled up, and she fell flat on her face.

"Ow, that hurt," Susan said as she raised her head from the grass. "What the hell is going on?" As she pushed herself into a sitting position, Susan heard something to her left and looked in that direction. Her jaw dropped when she saw her wand floating in midair. This sight caused her brain to momentarily shut down. Without the ability to think clearly, Susan did the only thing she could: she stuck her hand out in an effort to grab her wand.

However, her wand moved away from her, so it was just out of her reach. Her brain had still not processed the situation as she lunged forward to grab her wand only to miss yet again.

It was after this miss that Susan began to wonder why her wand was floating in front of her face. She knew that her property had a ward that prevented ghosts from coming near it so she knew that it was a ghost playing a trick on her. As Susan considered the reasons why her wand was behaving oddly, it suddenly spun in the air, and Susan found herself staring at the tip of her wand.

"Oh bollocks," Susan muttered as she saw a stream of red wine shoot from her wand. As it was about stain her sleeveless white blouse, her eye caught a very faint shimmer in the air around her body; it was so faint that for a second she thought that she had imagined it. However, the jet of wine collided with _something_ and fell to the ground. As Susan was trying to figure what was going on, Harry shimmered into view.

"Yo," Harry said. A massive smile was plastered across his face.

"Harry, you are a dead man," Susan said as grabbed her wand from his outstretched hand. As she did, she noticed that the slime that had coated her hand after squashing the bug was gone. _That bug was probably from Harry as well_, she thought with a growl.

"Oh, is that right? May I inquire as to the grave crimes that I am charged with that carry a mandatory capital punishment?" Harry asked innocently. He had tilted his head with a bewildered expression. "If it is making you look like a complete fool then I am guilty as charge."

Susan growled and fired a Stinging Hex at Harry. He merely smiled and waved his hand. Susan again saw a faint shimmer in the air just before her hex was deflected away from Harry.

"Harry, what happen to my hex?" Susan asked; she looked slightly dazed.

"Oh, that's just one of the spells I'm going to teach you. It's a shield spell that is a lot more powerful than _Protego_, which I taught the DA. It will withstand a number of high-level curses, and I am almost certain it will never collapse if the person is only using Stunners or below. It also lends itself to being cast without a wand quite well," Harry added. "I call it _Cavere_. Also, as powerful as it is, it is relatively easy to master."

Susan's blue eyes went wide with excitement, and her face lit up with anticipation. "That is so cool," she gushed. "What other spells are you going to teach me?"

"Let's see, I'm going to teach you _Sonus Fluctus, Flamen, Flamen Regio, _and_ Percutere_.

"_Sonus Fluctus_ is a spell that creates a very focused cone of sound that disorients your opponent by overloading their ears. At t weakest level, it will make the enemy dizzy and slightly nauseous. The 'beam' of sound will affect a cone shaped area in the direction you wand is pointed. If you really focus on the spell and put a lot of magic into it then the effects will increase their potency.

"At the extreme end of the spell it will rupture the blood vessels in the person's head and caused death. However, it requires both the intent to kill and a lot of magic to cause this to happen, magic you don't have yet. I think at the most you could cause a person's ear drums to burst," Harry added to alleviate the worried expression on Susan's face. "The function of this spell is to give you time to get away and\or damage the other person enough to dissuade them from to attack you."

Harry took a breath before continuing. "The next one, _Flamen_, is kind of like the Banishment spell that we learned during our Fourth year except that the effects are a little different. The Banishment spell just pushes an object or person away from you. _Flamen_ does the same except at a much greater rate of speed and spins the person, also at a high rate, until they land. The spin will prevent them from preparing themselves for the landing, increasing the potential for injuries.

"_Flamen Regio_ is the same except that instead you point your wand straight up and the spell hits everyone within ten feet of you. The effects aren't as severe as the focused _Flamen_but it is still potent.

"The final spell, _Percutere_, is pretty straightforward. What it does is a translucent black orb flies very quickly at the target. It will cause significant damage wherever it hits a person. You hit someone where there is a bone, like an arm, and it will break the bone. If it hits the person's head then it will knock the person out. Unlike the Stunner, they won't be woken up by casting _rennervate_. The person will be out for at least a couple of hours.

"Another prime target for this spell, besides the head, is their collar bone. If the person is right handed and your break their collar bone on the right side, it will render the right arm useless; you hit the person on the left side, the left arm won't work.

"One thing you should know about these spells is they can blast through the standard shield spell and not loose any power. Now, do you have any questions?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, I do have two. You developed all these spell, right?" Harry nodded. "Why the Latin incantations?" Susan asked.

"Two reasons. Well, most people can't hear Latin and understand it quick enough to understand what I said. Like you they might recognize that it is Latin but they don't know what the hell the words mean."

"And the second reason?"

"Latin names just sound cool," Harry said with a slight smile. Susan just shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Now, are you ready for you lesson?"

"Yeah, hopefully you won't wuss out on me again and pass out. I don't feel like carrying your heavy ass today," Susan said with a smirk.

"Yeah the only thing worse might be carrying-," Harry began, but he was stopped with a glare from Susan.

"Life in your own hands Harry," Susan said as she twirled her wand.

"What? I was going to say your petite, pleasant smelling body that has such a cute ass attached to it," Harry said, "On second thought, that wouldn't be too bad." He smiled widely and mentally gave himself a high-five at how successful his set up of Susan had been. Harry, however, was once again surprised at how much that this girl was similar to Tonks: they both made him act and feel completely, uncharacteristically…normal. _Well, that and the queer feeling of clarity that I feel_, Harry thought. They both made it very easy to talk and joke around with them. _Too easy, _Harry thought.

"Idiot," Susan said as she quickly turned away to hide her bright, cherry-red blush. She thought that it was a bit rich for Harry to her petite size since he was only a few inches above her five foot seven inch frame. After a couple of minutes, she felt it was safe to face Harry again. "So, shall we stop trading barbs and we begin my lesson?"

"I'm pretty sure that most people would agree that I am the only one tossing barbs around," Harry said. "But sure, let's get you educated!"

Susan growled and sent another Stinging hex at Harry. For a second she thought this one might connect but Harry just sidestepped at the last moment, and the hex flew right past him.

"Well, I see that you are warmed up so let's begin," Harry said before sidestepping another hex. "However, today I thought we might start out a differently. First, I want you to sit back down with your legs crossed."

"Okay," Susan said in tone that conveyed her bewilderment.

Harry tapped his throat with his wand; he had cast a charm that would slightly deepen his voice and make it more serene. "Now, close your eyes and relax. Breathe from you stomach, and make each breath slow and deep. Feel the warmth of the sun on your skin, the coolness of the gentle breeze as it caresses your skin," Harry said as he quickly waved his wand to create said breeze. He watched as Susan's breathing slowed and became deeper as she relaxed. "Now search your memory for a memory where you feel the most love, where you feel like all is right with the world. You won't have to tell me anything so make it anything, even if it is embarrassing. Once you find that memory, focus only on it, immerse yourself in it. Remember every detail about the scene, the feel of your clothes, the smell of the air--everything."

As Susan dove in the memory, a small smile appeared on her face. Harry walked away so that he wouldn't inadvertently disturb Susan. He decided that while Susan meditated on the memory, he would repair the ground that he destroyed the day before last. He found the hole and let out a low whistle.

_Damn that was a powerful reaction,_ Harry said as he saw that the crater was two feet deep and five feet across. The rocks that were in the crater were blackened from the heat. _This is going to be a pain to fix._ Taking a breath, Harry began to knit the ground back together.

As dirt fell from his wand, Harry began to consider what he had learned from the pranks he had played on Susan earlier. Although it was a great joke, it had really been an exercise in stealth attacks. He had snuck up on and surprised someone who was expecting him. He had actually made physical contact with her and escaped from any retaliatory action. The bug spell had been a complete success.

_Yes, __crimex__ annoyed her to the point that she that she slapped it_, Harry thought. He quickly began envisioning how he could modify it so that it would cause damage. _It's also a good thing to give to the Twins._

Deciding that the ground looked good enough, Harry walked back over to Susan. He found her sitting almost exactly as he had left her except that she had a small smile that radiated serenity and love.

_Must be nice having memories like that_, Harry mused briefly before banishing the thought. _I don't have time for self pity. There will be plenty of that when I am dead._

Harry tapped his wand against his throat to deepen his voice again. "Now, I want you to stick your arms up and let me pull you to your feet. As I do, keep focusing on the memory," Harry said.

Susan slowly stretched her arms up to Harry. She was surprised at how warm Harry hands were. However, this was the only interruption to her meditation. The transition from sitting to standing was so smooth that she didn't even register that she was standing.

"Now raise your wand and focus your magic in your wand hand. Don't force the magic, just focus the flow. Now, cast the charm," Harry said in his soothing voice.

"_Expetco patronum_," Susan called out. She felt something leave her body and shoot through her wand which, for a second, had felt like an extension of her body. For a second, she felt lightheaded.

"Susan, open your eyes!" Harry said with excitement in his voice.

Susan's eyes snapped opened and she gasped. Standing in front of her was one of the most breathtaking sights she had ever beheld.

A massive creature was standing proudly before her. Susan couldn't see all of it at first, only part of the flank and front leg; her eyes widen as she realized that its front leg was slightly taller than her. It shook its bright silver coat before it turned its head toward Susan. Her eyes managed to go even widen as her jaw fell open. The creature didn't have a head; it had three.

_If I met a real…whatever the hell this dog is, I would have fainted_, Susan thought. However, she immediately fell in love with her Patronus and wasn't the least bit frightened. All too soon, it vanished in a puff of silver smoke. Susan was startled out of her awe by Harry's laugh.

"Ha, your Patronus is Fluffy," Harry said.

"_Fluffy_?" Susan asked indignantly. _How can he call such a powerful and magnificent animal _Fluffy? Susan asked herself.

"I called it Fluffy because the one I met in real life was named Fluffy," Harry replied, still chuckling.

"You've met one in real life? What is it anyway?"

"Muggles call it a hellhound; I go by that because I haven't actually found a name for it in any book written by a wizard. The one I met was the reason why no students were allowed in the third floor corridor on the right side during our first year since it was in the corridor. It was one o f the defenses that was protecting the Sorcerer's Stone," Harry said.

"And its name was _Fluffy_?" Susan asked. Her voice brimmed with incredulity.

"It was Hagrid's," Harry said with shrug.

Susan gave a small chuckle. "That figures," she said.

"Ah, we have gotten away from what is important," Harry said in an airy voice. "The important thing is you conjured your Patronus!" Harry smiled and gave her two thumbs-up.

A massive smile exploded on Susan face. Her blue eyes shone with pride. "Yeah, you're right Harry," Susan said right before she launched herself at Harry and wrapped her arms under his arms and around his back.

Harry was forced back a step as Susan almost knocked the breath out of him. For a minute, he was at a lost as to how he should react. Should he cough in embarrassment or hug her back? Should he chuckle a bit before pushing her away or should he let her hold onto him as he patted her back?

_Ah, damn the female half of Homo sapiens! They are the only force that can bewilder me to the point where I am at a lost as to how act!_ Harry thought. He could picture a miniature Harry stomping around inside his head before falling into the fetal position and sobbing. _Why the hell are girls so damn confusing? _Mentally Harry flipped a coin a couple of times to decide what he should do.

However, before Harry had finished flipping his mental coin, Susan released him, making all his irritation and mental debates pointless. Harry quickly realized that his agitation prevented him from taking pleasure in the hug.

_Damn it, _Harry thought.

"That was incredible Harry," Susan gushed.

Harry's smile returned when he saw Susan's excitement. Her bright blue eyes were wide with happiness and her smile shone with pleasure.

"Yeah, I have to say that your Patronus is a lot cooler than most I have seen. It certainly looks more like a shield against dementors than Hermione's otter or Cho's swan," Harry replied.

"That's for damn sure," Susan agreed.

"Well, I hate to be a kill joy, but could you do it again?" Harry asked.

Susan just nodded. "_Expecto patronum_," She firmly said. Once again she felt as if her wand had become an extension of her body and the sensation of something flowing from her body. This time she saw Fluffy (she silently cursed Harry for implanting the name in her mind) leap from her wand. It stood proudly for a minute before disappearing into a silver mist. She looked over at Harry and saw a smug smirk on his face.

"What?" Susan asked.

"I told you it would get easier to cast the Patronus charm after you did the first one," Harry replied. "Of course, you still have three more lessons to go before I will say that you have mastered Patronus charm."

Only a small portion of Susan's glee remained after Harry said that. "What do you mean? I just cast a corporeal Patronus," Susan retorted.

"I am so sure that if you are attacked by a dementor that it will be on a beautiful day that is so pleasantly warm," Harry replied sardonically. "Did you all ready forget that I got a boggart from Dumbledore?" Harry paused. "Wait a sec, what happened to that suitcase?"

Susan and he looked around before her hand came up and pointed in a direction. Harry looked and saw that the suitcase was in the same spot where he had set it down two days ago.

"You haven't moved it?" Harry asked.

"I had to move you, if you don't remember. Anyways, my next lesson will be against a boggart turned into a dementor?"

Harry shook his head. "No, that is the third step. The next step is going to start tonight," Harry replied. "I'm going to simulate what happens when a dementor appears. You know, like the temperature dropping."

"Okay, what's the fourth step? If facing a boggart that is a dementor is the third lesson, what could be harder than that?"

Harry hesitated. "I am still debating whether I should put you through the fourth step; it is very brutal," Harry said.

Susan paused, wondering what could be more brutal than facing a dementor. She still wasn't sure why Harry was afraid of them but she would never say that facing one, even a fake one, would be easy. "Harry, tell me the fourth lesson and then I can make an informed decision as to whether I should go that far."

"The fourth step would involve you borrowing one of my memories and then letting you battle the boggart," Harry said.

"Would your memories really make a big difference?"

"Really bad memories result in the dementor having stronger effect. Everyone gets cold in the presence of a dementor, people with worse memories feel like they are drowning in ice cold water. The coldness went all the way to my bones. That, the rattling breaths they take, and the hand I saw were what initially made me fear them However, that fear became cemented when I became aware of the memory that it was drawing to the surface. You remember third year when I fell off my broom?"

"That was because of the dementors?" Susan asked.

Harry stared at her. "What else could it have been? I out flew a freaking dragon during the Triwizard Tournament," Harry said bluntly.

"Oh yeah," Susan said, slightly embarrassed.

"Anyways, it was during that game that I realized what memory that was so bad that caused me to pass out," Harry said. "As Professor Lupin told me after the game, 'the horrors of my past are enough to knock anyone off their broom'."

"Can you tell me what that memory is? You don't have to if you don't want to," Susan added quickly.

"No, I don't really mind. Besides, when you hear it, you will understand why I fear dementors above all else, including Voldemort.

"The memory that is so horrid is the death of my mother. In the presence of a dementor, I remember her begging Voldemort to kill her and spare me, to have mercy. The longer I am exposed to a dementor, the more of that night I remember. During my lessons with Professor Lupin, I heard my dad telling my mother to take me and run while he tried to stall Voldemort," Harry said. "What's worse about that memory is that my mom may have been spared if she hadn't tried to protect me."

Susan had a look of horror on her face as Harry recounted the memory.

"I can see you understand why my boggart turns into a dementor. If I was sent to Azkaban then I would relive that night over and over. Of course, I also had a whole new batch of bad memories, like the night Cedric was murdered," Harry added. "Of course, a person doesn't need really bad memories like mine to be adversely affected by dementors. My cousin, who has never suffered a major hardship in his life, was rendered catatonic for about ten minutes after his encounter with a dementor last summer."

Susan was silent as she finished processing all the information Harry had given. It was clear as to why Harry feared dementors so much. She couldn't image what it would be like to hear your mother begging for your life, to be spared before she is killed. Susan now hoped that she would never meet a dementor. The thought of facing even a fake dementor scared her to the point where she couldn't talk for a minute. However, as soon as these thoughts passed her mind, she knew the answer to Harry's optional fourth step.

"Harry, to complete that fourth step it sounds like a person needs an impossibly strong will; that is something I do not have. That being said, this isn't a final 'no'," Susan said. "Although it's unlikely that I will take the fourth step, I would like to leave the option open."

"That's probably the best decision. The fourth step should be reserved for people who are likely to encounter dementors on a regular basis, like Aurors. Maybe I should mention it to your aunt," Harry said with a thoughtful look. "Anyways, since you got the Patronus working well, let's practice some of the spells. The second lesson I have planned for your Patronus development is going to occur tonight. Let's work for a few more hours with the other spells and then break until eleven tonight. So, which spell do you want to work on first?"

"Ah, the shield spell," Susan replied.

"Good choice," Harry said. "I actually modified a spell to help you learn. I took a standard bone breaking curse and changed it so it still had the power to break through a standard _protego_, but when it hits it only leaves a bruise," Harry said.

"Only a bruise," Susan repeated incredulously.

"Would you prefer the original effect?" Harry asked. "Besides, I can heal bruises in the blink of an eye. Still want to learn _Cavere_ first?"

"Yeah," Susan said without much enthusiasm.

Harry sighed. "Look Susan, I don't want to hurt you anymore than you want to get hurt. I hate to be cliché but the reason I am tough on you is because I don't want you to get hurt. The only reason a Death Eater would use a low level spell that could be stopped by a _Protego_is so they can capture you so they would have more time to torture you. I can tell you from experience how much fun that can be. However, considering you are a girl, you would probably experience something worse than what I have experienced," he said.

"So this shield will protect me from just about every spell except Unforgivables?" Susan asked.

"Yup, it has held up against everything I have thrown at it," Harry said. "Also, it will reduce the power of a Cruciatus. It will still hurt but not nearly as much as an unshielded Cruciatus."

Susan finally looked a bit more eager to learn. "All right, let's start the torture," she replied.

"That's the spirit!"

--

"Has anyone found out anything else about this Wraith person?" Voldemort asked the Death Eaters that were gathered before him.

"No my lord," responded Avery. "The only information we have on him is what was written in the _Daily Prophet _about the failed mission in the Leaky Cauldron."

"Who was involved in that embarrassment?" Voldemort asked coldly.

"The only ones worth naming are Bagman and River. The rest were mediocre at best," Lucius responded.

"Ah yes, River was a promising wizard. How did the _Prophet _say he died?"

"My lord, it said that his right arm had been severed, six ribs had been shattered along with his clavicle on the left side, and that most of his head had been, for lack of a better phrase, blown to bits," Avery said. "The _Prophet_ reported that the Aurors haven't any clue as to what spell was used; the damage done doesn't match any known spell."

"I think I like this guy's style," Voldemort said with a small grin. "What about his connection to Potter?"

"My lord, again the only information is what the _Prophet _has reported. However, since it came from Dumbledore, we can be fairly certain what was reported is accurate," Avery replied.

"Do any of you think that what Dumbledore said was a lie to protect Potter? That it was he who killed River and the others? What of the clever trap set for the raid that went after Potter's Mudblood friend?"

"My lord will you permit me to speculate?" Lucius asked.

"Go ahead."

"It is my belief that there is no way that Potter could be responsible for any of the losses we sustained from either of the attacks," Lucius stated confidently.

"Oh, you sound so sure of your conclusion. Please enlighten us," Voldemort replied.

"One reason is whoever did kill the Death Eaters in the two attacks was far more skilled than Potter could ever be. We have his school records and Severus's reports. Beyond that, we also have our own first-hand accounts of the boy in action. The only reason he has survive as long as he has is that he has an obscene amount of luck.

"The other reason is there isn't anyway that he has the stomach to kill let alone kill in the ways that this Wraith did. Potter is the epitome of purity," Lucius said.

"Malfoy is correct my lord," Bellatrix said. "When I fought him, he tried to perform the Cruciatus on me but it barely even stung. All it did was knocked me off my feet. The fall hurt more than the curse. He is just as my lord described him: worthless."

"Hmm," was the response that the Death Eaters received from their lord and master as he turned from them. A smile played across Voldemort's face as soon as his back was to his minions; he loved it when plans appeared to be coming together. _Potter, you are becoming quite interesting, just as I predicted,_ Voldemort thought.

--

Harry fell to his knees panting. "Damn, the aftereffects of that spell are still brutal," Harry said. His whole body felt sore. While the aches didn't hurt to the point that they impeded him, they were still there and annoyed Harry. The effect that bothered Harry the most was the utter exhaustion that resulted from using the spell; unlike the soreness, it did hinder Harry. "I guess the spell needs more tweaking before I use it in a fight; at least I know I won't be in danger from excess magic again."

Harry fell back onto his butt before he took out a small bag from his pocket. After he enlarged it so that it was about half the size of a duffle bag, he took a sports drink and a couple of granola bars and shrunk the bag. Once he was finished with the meal, Harry threw the bottle and wrappers into the air and blasted them practicing his accuracy; the wrappers made excellent targets because of their chaotic flight paths.

_Note to self: Thank Dumbledore for performing the Ritual on me, _Harry thought with before he fell backwards, unconscious.

Harry awoke to find that night had fallen while he slept. Wondering if he was late for his eleven o'clock appointment with Susan, Harry glanced at his watch. However, instead of finding the time, Harry found the wreckage that had been his watch; the glass had cracked and the hands were still.

"So much for owning something nice," Harry muttered as he stared at the expensive watch turned bracelet. "The magical pressure must have caused this. _Hora__._" The silver mist that floated out of his wand told that he had five minutes till he was suppose to met Susan.

Harry reflected on the afternoon and the progress that Susan had made. She had mastered the _Cavere_ shield in a little over a hour and an half. While Harry had told her that it would be relatively easy to master, he hadn't expected that it would be _that_ easy. When Harry left her a few hours later, she had mastered _Flamen _and was able to cast a strong _Flamen Regio_ about eighty percent of the time.

Of course, Harry's mutinous mind wouldn't allow Harry to think about Susan without him pondering the strange effects that she had on him. Unlike before, Harry was able to crush the thought process quickly.

Deciding that it was time to meet Susan for their nighttime practice, Harry conjured a metal statue of himself wearing a banner that had "Portkey" written on it. "_Portus Furtum_," Harry said before as he tapped the statue. Harry grabbed it and disappeared.

Minutes after he left, an old man strolled in the area on his nightly walk with his wife. What he saw brought up memories of World War 2 while he fought in the Ardennes Forest. In a space of about a hundred feet wide, a few trees lay in splinters while the rest were completely gone, the only trace being a stump; in some cases, even the stump was gone. In one area, there wasn't any sign that there had even been any trees. The utter destruction was comparable the barrages of German artillery that had brought death to his company.

The man and his wife quickly decided to cut their walk short so they could report this to the police.

--

"Welcome back Harry," Susan said with a smile as he appeared before her. Her smile faded when Harry didn't response. In fact, he wasn't even looking at her; he was staring at something behind with an expression of amusement. "What?"

"Susan, have you notice that neither you nor I have moved the suitcase containing the boggart?" Harry asked.

Susan turned around and saw that the suitcase was in the same spot that it had been in for the past few days. "Well, would you look at that," she said with a chuckle.

"Anyways, even though it's pretty bright, we should have a little more light," Harry said before he held his wand vertical. "_Razzo_," he commanded and a small yet bright ball of fire appeared over Harry's wand tip. He flicked his want and the ball flew until it about six feet away from Harry and Susan. He repeated this action five more times. The surrounding area was now bathed in a soft light.

"Anyways, let's begin tonight lesson. What I am going to do is simulate what might happen if you have a run-in with a dementor. I chose to conduct this lesson at night because the effects are more noticeable than they might be otherwise. That and I have never met a dementor during a sunny day. We were lucky that the Moon is so bright tonight and that it is pretty warm; the contrast will be all the more shocking. To complete this lesson, you must hold the corporeal form of your Patronus for at least ten seconds." Harry said. Before Susan could blink, Harry waved his wand as he said, "_Dementor Illusion_."

It was as if someone had slipped a blindfold over Susan's eyes. The star-filled sky had disappeared along with the Moon; the little balls of fire Harry had conjured were also gone. She looked down and saw that she couldn't even see her body. It was then that the cold finished seeping through her shirt. She shivered as it enveloped her as if it were a liquid. Trying to maintain her focus, Susan raised her wand and shouted, "_Expetco patonum_." However, instead of Fluffy, her Patronus had reverted back to a shapeless mist though it was bright enough that Susan could actually see it. Shaking off the failure, Susan tried again. All she got was the same shapeless mist.

_Damn it, I think I see why Harry inserted this lesson before I face a dementor if the environment it creates is this detrimental to my spell work_, Susan said as she clenched her teeth and tried again. This time, the mist had a slight shape to it. As she was about to try again, the darkness suddenly lifted and warm air surrounded her body. She looked over at Harry and saw that his face was empty of expression.

"Why did you end the simulation?" Susan asked a bit irritated.

"You needed a break. It was becoming dangerous to your health. If you checked the temperature of your body you will find it is about a degree and a half below normal," Harry replied. "Your heart rate had also increased by about fifteen beats per minute. Your respiration had also increased significantly. I had some medical spell activated to monitor your well-being," he added at Susan's puzzled look. "All that happened and you were in there for about ten minutes."

Susan noticed that she was panting slightly. "How long do I have to rest before I can go again?" Susan asked.

"To be safe, I'd give it about fifteen minutes before you're ready for another go," Harry said as he conjured two chairs for them. Flicking his want, a blue analog clock appeared and began counting down the fifteen minutes.

"All right," Susan said as she settled herself into the conjured chair after she moved it next to Harry's chair.

For the next fifteen minutes, Susan and Harry sat in a comfortable silence, enjoying each others' company. When the clock chimed that fifteen minutes had passed, Harry and Susan stood.

"Are you ready?" Harry asked Susan. After getting a determined nod, Harry once again waved his wand and said, "_Dementor Illusion_."

Susan found herself once again trapped in the absolute blackness of the dementor simulator. This time she could feel her heart begin to race and her breath quicken. She knew that she had about ten minutes before Harry ended it again and she wanted to finish the lesson. Taking deep breaths, Susan centered herself and focused on her memory. "_Expetco patonum_," she firmly said. From her wand shot an almost formed Fluffy: his body tapered off around his ankles.

Knowing that her time for this simulation was almost up, Susan drew in a deep breath before shouting, "_Expetco patonum_!" A fully formed and very bright Fluffy leaped from her wand. However, it faded after only a few seconds. "Damn it," Susan cursed as fell to her knees, shivering from the both the cold and her efforts.

"You almost had it," Harry said as he dispelled the illusion.

"Yeah," Susan agreed, still out of breath from the practice. She began to close her eyes but they opened when she felt something soft, fluffy, and warm fall onto her shoulders. When she looked at her shoulder, she saw a hand retreat from a blanket that now rested on her shoulders. Looking up, she saw Harry a few feet away with a small, gentle smile on his face. "Thanks," she said.

"Not a problem," Harry replied. "I think this is a good place to stop for tonight."

"No," Susan said as she sat upright. "I can go for at least one more round with your illusion."

"Susan, this training is taking a huge toll on your body; I'm beginning to think that putting you through this wasn't a very good idea."

"I asked for this, remember? I chose to allow myself to fight in your illusion. If I had asked, you would have dropped the spell immediately, right?" Susan asked pointedly.

"Yes, of course I would have."

"See? I made a choice to become stronger, and I am willing to go through your little illusion to achieve that."

"Susan, doing anything, suffering through anything just to become stronger isn't something anyone should do, willing or not. It is one of the most dangerous things you can do to yourself, for numerous reasons," Harry replied sagely though he almost laughed at how hypocritical it was for _him_ to say something like that.

"I know that. Believe me, if it gets too bad, I will stop," Susan said. "Besides, facing a dementor, even a fake one, is going to be much worse right?"

"Fine but if I think it is getting out of hand, I will stop without a second thought; actually, I wouldn't give it a first thought," Harry said. His tone conveyed to Susan that the issue was nonnegotiable.

"Deal," Susan answered. "How much longer do I need to wait before we can start again?"

"I'd say probably about ten more minutes."

"Fine," Susan said as she clutched the warm blanket to her shoulders. "Thank you Harry," Susan said after a minute of silence.

"No thanks needed," Harry replied.

While they waited, Harry took out a notebook, a pen, and a needle from a bag that had appeared. Setting the notebook and pen aside, Harry jabbed the ring finger on his left hand. Harry let the blood pool a bit on his finger before pressing it on a small seal on the lower left corner of the notebook's cover. The notebook glowed a dark green for a second before the green glow receded until only the spine glowed for a second before it faded. Harry opened it and turned to a page toward the back

The notebook itself was a bit battered and stuffed with notes and other pieces of paper. However, when Susan glanced at the page on which he was writing, she saw it was blank.

"I've spelled the pages so only I can read them," Harry said, not looking up.

"How'd you know I was looking?" Susan asked; she hadn't seen him move his eyes from the paper in front of him.

"I guessed. Humans are naturally curious so I figured that sooner or later you would sneak a peek at what I was writing," Harry replied, still writing.

"Well, can you tell me what you are writing?"

"It's a spell I am working on. Actually, this entire notebook is dedicated only to this spell. It's fairly complicated," Harry replied as he seemed to cross something out.

Susan let out an unladylike snort as she eyed the notebook. "I can tell considering that you have almost filled that notebook," Susan said. "What does it do?"

"That I can't tell you: this spell is too dangerous," Harry said.

"What do you mean that it is 'too dangerous'?"

"This is the spell that almost suffocated me and caused me to pass out for twenty-seven hours."

Susan just mouthed an "Oh".

"Yeah, I am going to be the only person who will be able to cast it," Harry said as he quickly wrote something. "That's why I developed the blood spell that allows only me to open it. If someone tries to force it open with magic, the notebook will explode, and everything with five feet of the notebook will be incinerated."

"That's one hell of a security system. By the way, I love your Portkey," Susan said as she eyed the statue of Harry.

"Just because Portkeys are usually inconsequential items doesn't mean they have to be; I felt like adding a bit of flair," Harry said as he added something to the bottom of the current page and turned to the next.

"Would you mind if I kept this?" Susan asked as she picked up the statue. She waited for Harry's head to pop up and wasn't disappointed at the shocked and bewildered expression.

"Why the hell would you want to keep it?" He asked.

"Just think of the fortune I could make selling this to one of your rabid and obsessive fan girls\stalkers?"

Though her initial comment had thrown him for a loop, Harry quickly regained his wits. "I'm not sure about that. After all, how could you make a fortune selling it to yourself?"

"Touché Potter, touché," Susan replied.

"Well, I think it is time to get back to your lesson," Harry said as he closed the notebook and tapped the blood seal with his wand. The spine began to the dark green before the green spread to the far edges of the notebook before it faded. "Are you ready?" he asked as he stood.

Susan took a deep breath to center herself. "Ready," she said.

"Very well. _Dementor Illusion_," Harry said as he waved his wand.

For the third time that night, Susan found herself once again in the pitch-black coldness that was Harry's Dementor's Illusion. Summoning all her willpower, Susan firmly called out, "_Expetco patonum_."To Susan's pleasure, a fully formed Fluffy leapt from her wand and stood in front of her, its three heads looking for any dementors. The silver light was bright enough to illuminate the black sphere that Susan was in; she also felt slightly warmer. Fluffy finally disappeared after fifteen seconds.

"Again," the disembodied voice of Harry commanded.

Susan had expected this; Harry always asked her to show a spell at least twice before he would let her rest. She cast the charm again. This time Fluffy stayed around for a full twenty seconds, double the required ten seconds.

"Very good," the voice said. "Now, do it one more time and you'll get a cookie."

Susan threw a Stinging Hex in the direction that the voice came from in irritation. Instead of a couple of muttered swear words that would indicate the spell connected, all Susan gained for her effort was a round of chuckling.

"You know, I'm really surprised at your progress Susan," Harry said after he dropped the illusion. "I doubt most people could produce a Patronus after only three rounds in my illusion. If some of the others of the D.A. who were able to produce a corporeal Patronus were put under the same illusion, I'm not sure if they would have mastered this exercise as quickly as you did. The only person who might have is Hermione.

"Now, before you say anything, I am not heaping empty flattery on you; I am completely serious. Your success just proves the belief that Hufflepuffs are dullards is unfounded."

"Well, if we are assigning credit, you deserve it just as much as I do," Susan said. "You're a great teacher."

"So we'll share equal credit for your Patronus?" Harry asked.

"Like hell we will. It is at least ninety-ten, with me having the ninety," Susan replied seriously. However, her attempted to kid Harry failed when she broke into a smile.

"Susan, you need to work on your delivery," Harry said.

"Anyways, before you leave tonight, do you think I can try once against the boggart?" Susan asked.

"I don't think so. You have all ready taxed yourself enough tonight," Harry said.

Susan's reply was to adopt a pout that was so cute it should have been outlawed. Harry had started to object further but his response died in his throat. He once again marveled at the female half of his species. He had defeated Voldemort's Imperious curse without faltering; he had even overpowered Voldemort's will when their wands connected. However, he felt himself crumbling from the mere pout of a girl.

_Voldemort isn't the true bane of my existence; no, it is women_, Harry angrily thought. _When I finally fight Voldemort, that could be a good taunt_, Harry thought after further reflection.

Holding back a swear word, Harry sighed. "All right, I'll let you try it once," he said.

Susan just smiled. Staring at that smile, he wondered if she knew the power of her pout. Harry felt a shiver of fear at that thought before he summoned the forgotten suitcase. He set it down and motioned Susan to stand in front of it as he took a position about five behind and to the right of the case as Susan took a position about six feet in front of the suit case.

Taking a deep breath, Susan centered herself. "Ready," she said as she held her wand in a ready position.

Harry just nodded and flicked his wand at the suit case. The latches snapped open and the case flew open. The faux dementor rose till it towered over Susan; it dwarfed her by a good five feet. At the sight of the imposing figure, Susan unconsciously took a step back.

Susan knew what to expect when she faced the dementor, or rather she thought she did. The stars disappeared, and. she was doused again with a cold that penetrated all the way to her core. The oppressive feeling the darkness and cold combined was still there. The only reason she could make out the dementor was the lights conjured by Harry.

However, there was one thing that was very different from Harry's illusion: the overwhelming malevolent intent. Susan had never felt anything like it. The sheer amount of malevolence that the faux dementor radiated was terrifying; Susan had never felt such a…lust to cause harm before. However, the faux dementor finally noticed Susan, and the malevolence shot through the roof as it focused on Susan. The sudden increase in the intent was so strong that it forced the air from Susan's lungs, preventing her from casting the charm.

As the faux dementor began to advance on Susan, she felt her wand hand drop limply to her side. It was then that she began to experience the true horror that dementors wrought. She began to remember and relive her bad memories: the truly horrible fights with her friends and her aunt, the times Snape had humiliated her in Potions, and other awful incidents.

If Susan had been able to analyze the situation, she would have been surprised that it was about to become even worse. When the dementor had advanced within three feet of Susan, it managed to dig up Susan's worse memory. She felt her wand slip out of her hand as the memory came forth: the horrid moment in time when she learned that she would never meet the young and happy people who filled many of the pictures in her home, her parents.

Darkness claimed her half a second later.

--

"Poppy, I need you to go to Grimmauld Place," Dumbledore urgently said as he rushed into the hospital wing.

"Let me get my bag," Poppy said as she rushed off to her office. "What's the situation?" She called.

"Remus didn't tell me when I talked with him. All he said was that it was life threatening," Dumbledore said as Poppy walked up to him. He held up a length of rope that Poppy assumed was a Portkey. Her suspicion was confirmed a few seconds later when she felt a jerk behind her navel.

--

Author's Notes:

So, this chapter was way overdue. I could make excuses but I'm still trying to figure why I can't write much of _anything_. All I can say is I'm sorry, and I'll try to avoid it in the future.

The scene where Harry slammed his hand into the ground was _not_ modeled after the chidori. I pictured that scene long before I ever saw it in the series.

Here's a disclaimer to protect my ass. The thumb hold I described in this chapter should _not_, I repeat not, be attempted unless the situation calls for it (i.e. when you have been attacked). When I was writing that scene, I tried it on myself to see how best to describe it. The result was my thumb was numb and virtually useless for about half an hour.


End file.
